


Orchestrated Incident

by NuclearMu5hroom



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alcohol, Canon-Typical Violence, Companionable Snark, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recreational Drug Use, Romance, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:30:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 70,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9391058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearMu5hroom/pseuds/NuclearMu5hroom
Summary: This is my very first fanfic I ever published. I want to thank BlueDenimDress for beta reading it and proofing :) I wouldn't have had the balls to post this without her <3





	1. All Are Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fanfic I ever published. I want to thank BlueDenimDress for beta reading it and proofing :) I wouldn't have had the balls to post this without her <3

Even though they were smack in the middle of the North End, the coast line of the Bay still stunk like dead fish and garbage. Maybe it was because it was raining but ever since Chell Holoway left Vault 111 a year ago, everything stunk all the time. She was determined to make it to their destination by sundown; this particular area of North Boston wasn’t exactly what one would call safe, even during the day. She brushed several stray blonde hairs from her face and shifted her duffel bag. She was thankful for the thickness of the coat she had unceremoniously removed from the former Minuteman General; the title she now bore. Their destination lay in the midst of the former Financial District in downtown historical Boston; an area she used to be familiar with, but since the bombs fell and buildings were demolished it became a little harder to navigate. Her face was washed in the green light of her Pip Boy as she checked her map, her breath was fogging up her glasses. In the distance, the Synth Detective lit a cigarette, keeping watch for anything that would move in the dusk. 

“Nick, you’re awfully quiet.“ Chell stated, “we’re only about half hour from Goodneighbor and you’ve said about 3 words this whole trip. It can’t really be that bad, can it?”

Nick murmured in response, not really wanting to give a straight answer. He knew Goodneighbor, she didn’t. Going to the Memory Den wasn’t exactly a trip for fun for him. 

“Goodneighbor ain’t like Diamond City, kid. I suggest keeping anything valuable close and your head clear.”

“Is that what you’re worried about? Thieves? C’mon Nick, there’s more to it than that.”

Chell stopped and turned to him. The old Synth’s face seemed more sunken in the rain; maybe it was the stress of what occurred a few days ago. The confrontation with Conrad Kellogg was enough to put anyone out for a few days, especially Chell. It was a small consolation, but she had gotten her revenge on her husband’s killer. Now she was searching for her husband’s killer’s employer and she wouldn’t stop until Hell froze over.  
Nick scanned the ruined skyline and debris as if he’d find his answer buried there. His glowing eyes found nothing that would help. 

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I don’t like coming here. Too many chems, too many bad influences. You’re a good egg, Chell and I don’t want to see you wrapped up with anyone that’d do you wrong. There’s plenty of people here that would jump at the chance.”

“Oh Nicky you sound like such a Dad,” she teased. “ I’ll be fine, you know. If I can blow Kellogg’s head off, what’s some drifter gonna do to me?”

“Its not the Drifters I’m worried about..”

The neon signs to Goodneighbor cast pink and blue fury onto the side of a ruined skyscraper that overshadowed it. From the outside, it looked like just another Raider camp…maybe a little more decorated. She adjusted her glasses and wiped the fog and rain from the lenses as she stared at the words “All Are Welcome” scribbled on the outside wall. 

“So this is it, Nick?”

“Just through those doors.”

“Ain’t much, is it?” she scrunched her nose up. “I was expecting something more…Bartertown…Mad Max…you know ‘Two man enter, one man leave’…least that’s what I heard.” Unfortunately, the Pre-War reference was lost on the him. 

“Goodneighbor might not be much in the ways of looks, but it’s certainly not one to be underestimated.”

“Well, they don’t know who’s comin’ to town now do they?” She smirked. Chell was cocky, having just put down one of the more dangerous assassins in the Commonwealth but then again she could afford to be the tiniest bit cocky. She was getting tired of the red tape the Institute kept throwing her way; all she wanted was her son back, and that rat bastard Kellogg didn’t have what she wanted. So here they were at Goodneighbor. Back in Sanctuary, Tenpines, and the Co-Op, her people used to tell her this place was nothing but trouble. But in the most clichéd sense of the phrase, trouble was her middle name. A few stray hairs fell in front of her face, and she blew them aside before checking the map on her PipBoy. 

“So Amari’s here, then?”

“As long as I can remember. Never quite knew why she picked here of all places to operate from.”

“Well, I guess we should head in.” She nodded at the Detective. Nick crushed a cigarette out under his heel and gestured towards the door.

“After you, kid.”

Chell pushed the junk door open to a courtyard of sorts. The Old Statehouse was to the left, two shops straight ahead divided by a narrow alley. Chell quickly counted all heads present; herself and Nick, two in the alley, an assaultron at the counter of the gun shop, a Ghoul at the counter of the Discount store….and one greasy looking ex-Raider who was heading their way. 

“Hold up, first time in Goodneighbor, huh? Can’t go runnin’ around without Insurance,” he rasped.

Chell cocked her eyebrow and put her hand on her hip, the one conveniently holstering her .44. 

“Unless its ‘keep dumb assholes away from me’ insurance, I ain’t interested, pal.” 

“Now…don’t be like that. I think you’re gonna like what I have to offer here. See you better pay up, or else accidents might happen. Big, bloody accidents if you get my meaning.”

Chell rolled her eyes and glanced at Nick, who looked just as unimpressed by the attempted extortion. She started to reach for her pistol when one of the two people in the alley turned in their direction upon hearing the threat. 

He was dressed in a faded, red frock coat with torn seams; his silk shirt was yellowed with ruffles at the collar and cuffs. His tricorn had certainly seen better days and his belt was a tattered American flag as old as she was. 

_What the hell? she thought. This might be the weirdest thing I’ve seen yet…._

His voice was like a well-used whetstone, gravelly but smooth enough to hone the dullest knife to razor sharpness. His eyes looked like the night sky, inky black with no pupils...or none that she could see from this distance.

He was a Ghoul.

“Nick Valentine makes a rare appearance in Goodneighbor and you gotta bother him with this extortion shit?”

Nick tipped his hat. “…Hancock.”

“What did I tell you about threatening newcomers, Finn?” his attention turned back to the greaseball in the leather.

“Back off Hancock, you’re going soft. You keep letting outsiders like this in soon there’ll be a new Mayor…” Even from here Chell could see his bark was much worse than the bite.

Hancock sucked his teeth, glanced once at Nick, then at Chell, then back at Finn.

“Hey… this is me, we’re talkin ‘bout. C’mere, let me tell you somethin’…”

He clasped Finn on the shoulder, pulling him close. In another instant Hancock had buried his combat knife deep in the Raider’s chest, not once but twice before the dead man gasped and collapsed in a bloody puddle.

_Well now. That was unexpected._ She thought with a smile. 

“You’re breakin’ my heart, Finn…” he said grinning, wiping the blade with an old rag. “How you doin’ Nick? Been ages..” 

“Can’t complain. See you’ve been busy.”

The Ghoul shrugged and turned his attention to Chell. “You alright, sister?”

Chell examined the body briefly, then measured the man in front of her. “Yeah. Thanks for taking care of him.”

“Here in Goodneighbor, we all play nice. I don’t care if you’re a Raider, Synth, Super Mutant or just someone looking for somewhere to stay, everyone’s welcome, ya dig? Of the People, For the People…just as long as you know who’s in charge, you feel me?”

“Yeah, I feel ya.” She relaxed. It wasn’t often that someone was actually welcoming. She stored his thinly veiled threat to memory and watched as he walked back casually into the Statehouse, followed by a woman with red hair and a burn across her face, not unlike her own. The woman didn’t seem as welcoming and shot daggers with her eyes at the newcomers. 

“Yeesh. Well, that certainly was…something.” She remarked to Nick, who was lighting 2 cigarettes for the both of them. 

“Don’t let Hancock distract you. He’s reckless sometimes, violent…but he’s fair.”

“What about her?”

“Who? His bodyguard? I wouldn’t worry so much about her, unless you’re planning to put a bullet in the Mayor. She’ll leave you alone, just stay out of her way.”

“Duly noted. So where’s this Memory Den at anyway?”

“Just down here. Need to stop for ammo?”

Chell checked her pack, pushing more hair out of her face. “Eh, probably. Not like I won’t use it right? I got some other stuff I can shift off, too, so might as well lighten the load. Do they have a place to stay tonight? Its already 8 o’clock and gettin’ dark. There’s gotta be a decent place around here for a drink,right?”

“I suppose if you consider The Third Rail a decent place, but it’ll get the job done.”

“Let’s get this over with first, then head down. Sound good?”

“A plan as good as any. Although I’ll pass on the drink if it’s all the same. I doubt they’re serving motor oil.” He chuckled softly to himself. 

“Suit yourself.” She shrugged and shuffled her way into the weapons shop. 

The Assaultron shifted, turning its red eye towards Chell. It wasn’t the first time she’d come this close to one of these killing machines, but definitely the first time it wasn’t trying to kill her, yet.

“We have a gun for every occasion,” the voice was decidedly feminine, “Hunting, protection, cold blooded murder…..hot blooded murder.” The voice was decidedly sensual. 

Chell smirked, “You’re playing my song. Let’s take a look at whatcha got.”

The Assaultron threw a meticulously well inventoried catalog of stock with an assortment of ammunition, weapons, and armor. Caps and goods were exchanged, and Chell turned with a wink to her flirtatious harbinger of death. The alley opened up to another town square; she recognized the spot where the Boston Massacre happened. The sign for the Third Rail cast a reddish glow on broken brick street below and flanking the entrance were a couple of Ghouls in pinstripe suits carrying semi-automatic rifles. She glanced up the front of the building to the balcony, where the Mayor seemed to be occupied with watching everyone below. He happened to catch her glance and studied her for a moment before his attention was turned elsewhere. 

“Memory Den’s just ahead,” Nick reminded her, noticing her upward glance. 

“So what’s his story, Nick? I haven’t heard much about him, other than he’s got an appetite for good chems, and that he’s got a penchant for killing people apparently…”

Nick sighed. “Hancock’s, well…he’s fought for Goodneighbor for a long time now. Best stay at arm’s length with him though, he’s unpredictable at best.”

“And at worst?”

“Most people who underestimate him end up either in the ground or in his bed with a broken heart. Like I said, he’s not much more than a distraction.”

Chell scoffed. “Good thing I’m not a fool, then.” Another nugget of info tucked away for future reference. “Oh, hey, it’s Scollay Square! Heh, how bout that! I’ve seen Burlesque shows here.” She brightened.

“Well, I doubt there’s much in the way of dancing girls now,” he said as he opened the door for her and gestured her inside. 

“I appreciate the chivalry, Nick. I can open my own doors though, you know.”

“Of course, just...you know old habits die hard. Even when they aren’t your own.”

She brushed the side of his arm and smiled. “Thanks anyway. I do appreciate it.”

The interior of the Memory Den was dimly lit; its walls peeling with the original wallpaper yellowed from years of Post-War cigarettes. The main chamber was lined with pod like contraptions hobbled together from the husks of old one-seat vehicles. On the old stage was a pale, blonde woman wearing what appeared to be an original costume from the heady days of strip entertainment kicked back on an old chaise lounge nursing a bottle of bourbon. Chell cleared her throat to get her attention, “Excuse me, we’re looking for Doctor Amari. Is she available?”

The older looking woman eyed Chell briefly before turning to Nick. “Hello Nick. I’d thought you’d run out on me.”  
“I ran out on the Den, Irma, but I’d never run out on you…” he crooned.

“Hngh…you charmer… As far as Amari she usually doesn’t meet with clients. But then again, you aren’t here for the Memory Pods now, are you?”

“I was told that she might be able to help us. We may have some potential information about the Institu—“ Chell started, but was quickly interrupted.

“SHHHH! Keep it down!” she snapped in a hushed tone. “Alright, I’ll buzz her and let her know you’re on your way down.” 

She pressed a weathered finger to a button on a callbox next to her on the end table. With narrowed eyes she gestured to her right. “Enjoy your stay.”

They descended the concrete steps that led down to an old Fallout Bunker. Chell’s eyes widened incredulously at her partner. 

“That’s Irma, she runs the front of the house. She’s got a lot of reasons to be suspicious of new people so take it with a grain. If the Institute or the Brotherhood ever found out about what really goes on here, Goodneighbor would be wiped from the map.”

Chell hummed. “Good point. Although I doubt the Brotherhood’s intelligence isn’t as great as it makes itself out to be. When I met up with Paladin Danse they could barely hold their own against Ferals in Cambridge.” 

“Shh, kid we’re here.”

Nick opened the door and waived to a small woman of Indian descent who was occupied with a terminal in the corner of the room. There were two Memory Pods on each side of the room and a wide variety of processors and hard drives that lined the walls. 

“Nick Valentine. To what do I owe this pleasure?” she said levelly. 

“Nice to see you, too, Amari. We need your help and figured you might be the best candidate. This is my partner, General Chell Holloway of the Minutemen.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, General. Or should I say Agent Fixer?”

“Pleased to meet you, too…but how did you know?”

“I, like you, am an operative for the Railroad. We’re usually the first stop after Stockton picks them up. We help wipe their memories of the Institute, and any memories that they may be a Synth at all. By doing so adds a layer of protection should anyone question them.”

“Makes sense, I suppose. Always glad to meet another team player. Anyway Amari, you’re our last hope here. I just fought and killed one of the Institute’s assassins. A man like this would have had some knowledge of how to get into the Institute.”

Nick nodded in agreement, “Amari, is it possible to scan remnants of his brain and see if there is anything left we can go by?”

Amari looked aghast, “Are you two insane? You propose I defile a corpse….this only works with living tissue, mind you!”

Chell cocked a small smile, “Well, I already defiled the corpse, so that takes care of that….but I found hardware in with the mess that was left. I pulled this from the cranial cavity… Looks like Institute tech.” she tossed what looked like a flesh colored pea pod covered in fine mesh of circuitry and hair-thin wiring.

“This is a human hippocampus! And you say this was in his head? Fascinating…” The older woman turned the tissue over in her hands. 

“Can you do anything with this, Doc?” Nick questioned. He shot Chell a straight mouthed glance, bracing for her response affirming the negative.

“Hmm….well….perhaps it’s possible. I would need a processor like yours Mr. Valentine, in order to get past the encryption. Here, have a seat here. I’ll see if I can wire it in…”

He looked up at Chell with a concerned glance as he took his seat. Amari moved behind him and accessed a port just behind his right ear. As she made the connections, the lights in Nick’s eyes flickered, and his jaw went slack for a microsecond. His voice scrambled into a million different tones and frequencies before Amari removed it quickly without a second to spare.

“Nick! Are you alright?” Chell lurched forward towards her friend.

“Ugh, let’s not do that again….” Nick stammered. Amari stood behind them looking apologetic, yet still determined to unlock the tech. 

“Detective, I am sorry. I hope you didn’t take too much damage.”

“Well, I can still see straight. I remember the last time I had a tune up. I think I’m alright…”

Amari paused, focused on the last “living” piece of Conrad Kellogg. “Of course!” Her face lit up. “Nick you can bypass the encryption, being that you are yourself Institute technology but we need another interface that can navigate the pathways. We need a second mind that can process Nick’s data.”

Chell considered what she was proposing. “Is this something I can help with?”

 

“If my theory is correct, we should be able to download the data Nick deciphers into one of the Pods, then you should be able to basically walk through whatever is stored here.”

“Let’s hop to it then.”

Amari prepped the Pod to the left of Nick. He grasped Chell by the forearm before she climbed in. 

“You sure you wanna look through here, kid? There might be memories you don’t want to see…”

“If this is the only way to get to Shaun, I’ll go through Hell before I’m done.” She patted his metal skeletal hand as it released the heavy blue canvas of her coat. The Pod’s dome closed around her and she was within inches of a large screen, asking her to ‘Please Stand By’.

“Now, once this starts I won’t be able to stop it until the data is done compiling. Good luck, Agent.”

*************************************************************************

It seemed to Chell that she was in a large black room, floating bodiless with a few flecks of light that flashed near and far from her. 

“Agent Fixer, can you hear me?” Amari’s voice boomed through the simulation.

“Yes.” She answered, but even just the one word took a monumental amount of effort.

“See if you can find a neuropathway… I’ll try to enhance the connection to make it easier to find.”

Eventually, what appeared to be a path lit dimly before her. At first she wasn’t entirely sure how to move, but figured out that she could just think forward, and so it would be. Her journey brought her to several instances in Kellogg’s life; his troubled childhood being raised by a mostly single mother who gave him his first gun, to his own wife and child as he attempted to make a go at domestication. Chell learned that his career would get the better of them all, and Kellogg had lost his family ruthlessly. She supposed she could sympathize; knowing what losing those closest to you could do. It wasn’t long until she came to memories where Kellogg met with the Institute, then to the Cryochamber in Vault 111. She braced herself, knowing she would be watching Nate’s murder a second time and Shaun’s abduction. She swallowed hard as the bullet connected with Nate’s forehead, and he slumped in the pod as one of the Institute Scientists grabbed Shaun from his shaking hands. She could see herself fighting to break through her own pod, but knowing it was of no use. 

Finally, the last memory that came…Kellogg in the home at Diamond City with a young boy of no more than 10 years old, blonde hair like her own. A man in black had teleported into the house, a man from the Institute. He told Kellogg about his new mission: to hunt and eliminate an ex Institute scientist by the name of Brian Virgil. His whereabouts were in the Glowing Sea, the massive tract of land that was highly irradiated as a result of the nuclear detonation that destroyed Boston and most of Massachusetts. Then the man commanded the child to stand, that he was going back to the Institute with him, and Shaun went willingly in a plume of blue electricity.  
She had her answer. Teleportation. 

“Agent Fixer, I believe we have what we needed. I am going to slowly pull you from the simulation. Find the terminal somewhere in that current memory whenever you’re ready,” came Amari’s voice.

The process was slow and arduous. Chell did her best to keep the nausea from getting the better of her as she was pulled from someone else’s former consciousness. Even Nick didn’t look too well after all the wires were removed. 

“Teleportation! What a fascinating concept!” Amari reveled. “This would explain why there was no discernable entrance into the Institute. There is none!”

“Glad you’re so ecstatic, Doc,” Chell said dryly, fighting back the anxiety and the urge to vomit. 

“Apologies, Agent Fixer. I understand that couldn’t have been pleasant for you. Unfortunately this poses another problem. This technology is far beyond anything I’ve ever seen, let alone dealt with.”

Chell shut her eyes, grasping at the fragments of information she had just processed. The man in black had mentioned an ex-scientist.

“Amari, in that memory, someone told Kellogg that a scientist had escaped from the Institute, and that he was in the Glowing Sea. Do you think he might be able to help us?”

Amari furrowed her brow. “There is a chance that’s indeed true. He may be the only one who has any working knowledge of how to utilize this tech.”

“Makes sense, I suppose,” Chell thought. “If the Institute is hunting you, why not go to the worst place on Earth?”

“There was a cave system that was documented Pre-War in that area. It’s possible that he fled there, as it would provide the most amount of radiation protection.” 

“I’ll see if I can hit up schematics somewhere. Does the library still exist?” Chell asked with a slight laugh. 

“I am not sure, Agent. You may want to ask Daisy at the store. She had a large affinity for the Library before the War. She may have knowledge of its current state.”

“Alright then...” Chell stood up with a groan as her joints cracked when she stretched.

“Feel free to stock up here on your way out, Agent. I don’t envy your next journey. You’re friend, Mr. Valentine, is waiting for you upstairs.”

“Thanks, Doc. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” 

She found him sitting near the doorway, elbows resting on his knees.

“Hey Nick…”

He picked his head up and looked at her. The mannerism however, was drastically different than what she had become used to. It was as if he was carrying himself completely different than normal. 

“Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head. Heh, I was right. Should’ve killed you when you were on ice….” Kellogg’s ghostly voice suddenly emanated from her mechanical friend. Chell looked aghast. 

“Hey what the fuck, Nick?!”

“What?” Nick asked, confused. Whatever glitch that caused the remnants of her husband’s killer to speak unbidden was suddenly gone, his posture corrected, and all that was left was Nick. 

“You….you sounded like Kellogg there for a second.”

“Hmm….well, Amari said there may be some temporal imprinting left over, but I feel fine. Don’t worry.”

Chell pinched the bridge of her nose. She was tired, and not in the needing-a-good-night’s-rest kind of tired. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep the stoic Minuteman General Shtick up. She could feel the itch for a drink starting to overwhelm her finally. Her thoughts were slowly turning to the bar they had past… What was it called, The Third Rail?

“I’m glad you’re feeling better….Hey, listen, though. I think I might go it alone for a while. This…was all pretty heavy. I think I might just need some time to myself.”

“You sure, kid? Well, alright. I’ll head back to the Agency then, but come find me when you need me, alright?”

Chell smiled. “Thanks, Nick. I appreciate the understanding. Get home safe, alright?”

“Sure thing. Don’t let Goodneighbor suck you in, eh? I’ve lost good friends to this place…”

Nick turned and headed out the door as he left her to ponder the meaning of his last words. She still didn’t understand the drawing power of this place. To her, it was just another slum thinking it’s a city. She hated the Commonwealth. The garbage, the smells, the ruthlessness of it all. She sighed but then remembered her itch, that need to feel that warmth that only a fifth of bourbon could provide. She checked her guns and duffle bag before heading out. 

Once outside, there appeared to be a gathering of some sorts out in front of the Statehouse. She could hear Hancock’s cold steel voice beckoning the people on the street to congregate. 

“Hey, everybody! C’mere! We’re all here then… Alright, now I know you’re all doin’ your own thing, but I don’t want anyone to forget what matters here… Hey, Daisy! Glad you could make it. How’s my favorite girl doing? Didn’t I see you on a date with Marowski the other day?”

“Heh, he wishes!” the elder Ghoul cackled.

“Alright, alright…We’re gettin’ off track here….What was I sayin’? Oh, that’s right….What matters. We freaks gotta stick together. And the best way to stick together is to keep an  
eye out for what drives us apart, ya feel me?”

A voice from the crowd yelled in agreement, followed by other murmurs of approval.

“Now, what out there in our big friendly Commonwealth would want to drive us apart? What kind of twisted, un-neighborly boogeyman would want to hurt our peaceful community?”

Another voice from the crowd: “The Institute and their synths!!”

“That’s right! Who said that? C’mon up to my office later, I gotta Jet canister with your name on it. The Institute. They’re the real enemy! Not the Raiders, not the Super Mutant and not even those tools over in Diamond City.”

A Ghoul dressed in pinstripes carrying a modified Tommy Gun spoke up, “I don’t know, Hancock. I’d sure love to give McDonough a kick in the ass!”

“Hey! We all know I got my own personal beef with that lard-head, but stay focused! I need everyone to keep the Institute in mind. When someone starts actin’ funny, when people are doin’ things they don’t normally do….when family starts pushin’ you away for no reason…we all know who’s behind that kind of shit!. And the only way to stop it is to stick together. They can’t control us if we ain’t afraid. Now! Who ain’t afraid of the Institute?”

The throng of drifters, scavvers and Watchmen raised their voices: “Not us!!”

“And which town in the Commonwealth should the Institute not fuck with!”

“Goodneighbor!” came the response.

“And who’s in charge of Goodneighbor?”

“HANCOCK! OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE!” 

“Damn straight. Have a good night folks….Don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do, heh heh. “

As the crowd dispersed, he stopped at the door, turned to catch her glance, and smiled slyly. She tingled, knowing that whatever was going to happen, she wasn’t quite finished with him just yet. She shook herself off and fixated on the glowing red lights of the Third Rail.

“Hey, nice Pip-Boy, doll. Better hang onto it before someone swipes it,” commented one of the Neighborhood Watchmen who stood guard outside the door of the bar. 

“You’re welcome to try, though I doubt you’ll get far,” she quipped back. Everyone with a comment. 

Inside the converted subway station was another Ghoul in a tuxedo, adjusting his tie while eyeing the newcomer up. “Bar’s downstairs. Don’t bother the other patrons…” he warned. 

“Jesus, what is it with you guys? I just wanna drink, for fuck’s sake,” she said half aloud, half under her breath as she blew past him and down the stairs. From the top of the landing she could hear a woman’s voice crooning some Pre-War jazz tune played over a loudspeaker. She supposed it was nice enough, didn’t get the opportunity to listen to live music anymore. The bar was pretty full, considering. Chell’s head count put the numbers at a full fifteen patrons, with one Mr. Handy Bartender and the singer in the red dress. There was a VIP room in the back; she could hear voices but couldn’t make out how many individuals might be there. Then she chided herself silently, just turn it off…quit being a soldier for five fucking minutes, Chell. She grabbed the nearest stool at the counter and nodded to the Bot who was handling the drinks. 

“Oi, you don’t look like you’re from ‘round here, are ya?” The bot sported a London accent, east side. Limehouse maybe?

“No, first time. I’m dyin’ here though….What do I call you?” She was desperate to relax. Near panic was starting to set in.

“Name’s Charlie, Whitechapel Charlie. What’ll ya have?”

“Bourbon. Straight, don’t care if it’s in a glass. It’s probably filthy anyway.” she said quickly.

“Heh, right then. One bottle of bourbon for the newcomer.”

 

The bottle to her lips set her brain alight, and the familiar burn down her throat felt like she was putting out a fire. She winced at the sharpness of it, then exhaled deeply as if steam would pour out of her mouth. She took another swig before turning back to Charlie.

“So Charlie…who’s the bird on stage? She’s gotta great set of pipes on her.” Chell admired the woman in red, her dress hugged her figure well accentuating her hips and waist…and her other assets. 

“That’s Magnolia. She’s usually here working nights. I can arrange for you to meet her if you’re interested.”

“Hm…maybe.” She took another long draw from her bottle. 

“Now that you’re gettin’ good and liquored up, I have a proposition for ya.” Charlie muttered quietly to her.

Chell cocked her eyebrow. “Sounds interesting. I’m listening…”

“I need a dirty girl to do a very dirty job, and I hear you don’t have a problem with getting your hands dirty, do you?”

“Maybe. Depends on what we’re talkin’ about.”

“My client has use of the warehouses in town here. There’s three of ‘em, but they’re occupied by a bunch of Triggermen. My client can’t do anything about it themselves, you see…it would cause problems…break the peace of the neighborhood, if you catch my meaning.”

“So you need me to go and take care of some rats, is that it?” Another swig. Her lips tingled. “What’s the pay?”

“100 caps. Payment after the job’s done, and I will know when its done.”

“Eh…I dunno…100 caps for 3 warehouses? Bullets are expensive, Charlie.”

“Alright, fine. 200 caps.”

She took another swig, feeling emboldened by the liquid fire. “Alright Charlie, I’ll do it for 200….but…”

“Oh Christ, what?”

“Who’s payin’ this bill? I don’t like stickin’ my neck out for someone and I don’t know who.”

The bot’s eyestalks swiveled, checking for eavesdroppers or fellow Triggermen.  
“If you must know, it’s Mayor Hancock who’s holding the purse strings on this, yeah? So we have an agreement?”

_Hmph. The Mayor, huh? Can’t clean up himself?_

“Alright Charlie. I’ll clear those warehouses for your Mayor for 200 caps. Pleasure doin’ business with ya.” She winked and rose from her stool, re-fixated on the brunette beauty on stage. She took another swig and sauntered over to the stage, waiting for the set to end. Magnolia eyed Chell warily at first before flashing a smile. 

“Well, can’t say I’ve seen you around here before? What did you think of the music?” Her voice was sultry like a deep red wine. 

“I thought it was lovely,” Chell said with a smile, “though not as lovely as the source.”

“Oh, why thank you, sweetie.” Magnolia blushed. “Sometimes you just gotta do what the music tells you. “

“So what does the woman want?” Chell asked suggestively. The alcohol coursing through her lowered those inhibitions of hers. 

“Hmmm, you don’t waste much time, do you?” The singer smiled back. “Maybe the woman wants a drink, and some good company…” Her eyes measured Chell up and down as she bit her bottom lip slightly. 

“Well then, please….allow me,” Chell offered. She guided Magnolia to the nearest bar stool and threw a few caps on the counter to pay for her drink. The General took up the seat next to her, smiling lazily. 

“Magnolia is such a pretty name….Is it yours or is it your stage name?”

“Oh, it’s mine, sugar. And yours?”

“Forgive me, I’m Chell Holoway, General of the Commonwealth Minutemen. And trust me it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. “

Magnolia brought her drink to her lips, never breaking the eye contact. “Well, General. I am sure glad the Minutemen have someone capable to help them.”

“I’m off duty, sweetheart. You can just call me Chell. I’m sure you get a lot of admirers here… You’re the best looking woman I’ve ever seen in the Commonwealth.” 

“From time to time, yeah you could say that. And thank you, you are awfully sweet to say. Although as far as looks go, I’d say I’m in good company.”

Chell took another draw from her bottle and bit her bottom lip. “How about we take the conversation outside? Maybe walk under the stars….talk about, music?” her voice dripped with innuendo. 

Magnolia threw her head back slightly in silvery laughter. “That sounds nice, Chell. Let me just go and grab my coat.” 

Chell couldn’t help but to stare as the smaller woman walked away to a back room. She polished off the rest of the bottle and left it at the bar, throwing another three caps down as tip. 

Outside of the bar, Chell threw her arm around Magnolia’s waist, grinning. “Ya know, it’s been a long time I’ve been out with someone so pretty. I bet you get that all the time though, huh?”

“It’s been said before, but doesn’t mean I don’t like hearin’ it. Especially comin’ from you. Most of these drifters are missing half their teeth and smell like piss.” She laughed. 

Chell brushed her brunette hair aside and leaned close. “I bet I could say a few more things about how pretty you are. Do you have a room around here?”

“Sure do, sugar. I’ll pull a favor with Claire at the Rexford. She owes me,” Magnolia said with a smirk. The girls ran hand in hand towards the aged building, stopping at the counter once inside. An older woman of color wearing a faded grey suit stood purse-lipped as Magnolia called in her debt. Claire wasn’t at all thrilled about the free night, but acquiesced nonetheless as Magnolia giggled like a teenager and led Chell by the hand up the stairs. They didn’t make it to the door before their hands were all over the other. Magnolia’s lips were soft as Chell planted a series of small, quick kisses before delving deeper. She ran her hands down her curves, down to her thighs, which elicited a faint moan from Magnolia. Her calloused fingers toyed with the hem of the sparkling red dress. Magnolia grinned as she growled in approval.  
Clumsily, they shuffled into the rented room and slammed the door behind them. Chell threw her coat to the floor and turned her attention towards her lover’s garments. Chell kissed her collarbone and shoulders as she fiddled with the zipper in the back, and once undone, the dress dropped to the floor. She stepped back to admire her body; Magnolia’s breasts were large and firm with very little body fat elsewhere. Chell smiled as she embraced her, kissing her deeply once before turning her attention to the hardened nipple of her left breast. She looked into Magnolia’s eyes as her tongue circled the textured skin around it, teasing it to attention even further. As she engulfed the sensitive skin, Magnolia let out a soft sigh of pleasure and undid the tight, blonde bun Chell kept her hair in. Taking her cue, she pulled away for only a moment to remove her own blouse before returning to attend to her lover’s tits. Her free hand traced the line of her body down to her unshaven mound, grazing the skin’s surface with her nails and reveling in the sharp inhale and moans that came. 

“You’re a real beauty, Magnolia. Such a beautiful voice….” she said as she toyed with the inside of her thigh. “I’d like to try to make you sing for me here…” Her voice trailed off as the tips of her fingers brushed against Magnolia’s wet lips. 

“I don’t think anyone’s been so gentle, sugar. Oohh that feels so nice, please…” she moaned as Chell slid her finger in between the folds. Magnolia could barely stay upright as she undid Chell’s undergarments. Chell pulled away for a moment to remove her pants and her panties in suit and the two women laid on the bed, locked in embrace. Chell knelt over Magnolia, smiling, kissing her breasts, stomach, down to her mound as Magnolia spread her legs in anticipation. Her heady scent drove Chell wild as she kissed the inside of the other woman’s thighs using her fingers to gently pull the folds apart. Chell kept eye contact as her tongue slid slow and flat over the whole surface of her pussy, lapping up her taste as if it were liquid gold. Magnolia arched her back, moaning loudly as Chell’s dexterous tongue found home with her clit; her mouth sucking it in gently, swirling in circles. 

“Oh fuck me, sugar. That feels so good…OH!” Magnolia mewed as Chell picked up the pace a little faster, until her pussy was dripping. 

Chell’s breath was hot against her aching slit. “Oh, I can fuck you, doll….” She brought a slickened finger through her folds and circled the entrance of her hole. “Do you want one or two?” 

“Mmm…start with one, then go with it.” She smirked and threw her head back as Chell acquiesced. Magnolia was tight inside. Chell’s finger pressed on the walls inside as they contracted and released. After a moment of reading the reaction, Chell returned her attention to Magnolia’s clit and flicked it quickly with the tip of her tongue. Her breaths came heavy and moans louder; she became wetter and tighter around Chell’s finger as she inserted a second one. 

“Hnggh fuck girl I can’t hold much more…” Magnolia panted, looking into Chell’s eyes pleading for release. 

“Mmm, you wanna cum, honey?”

“YES please!” she arched as Chell curled her fingers inside, putting pressure on her G spot. 

Chell’s slick covered mouth returned to the quivering, soaking pussy in front of her, and she used strong, broad licks from her hole to the clit and back, combining this with the thrust of her fingers. Magnolia let out a low groan which increased as her climax peaked; she lifted her ass and arched her back hard as she came. Cum dripped from Chell’s mouth and chin, down her fingers and hands. She rose from between the older woman’s legs, grinning ear to ear as she kissed her. Magnolia licked her cum from Chell’s lips and smiled. 

“Damn, sugar, where’d you learn to do that?”

“Had some practice in my college years." she smirked.  
“College? I've seen a few of those text books mention it. Don't think there's one around though.” she said slightly confused.  
“Eh, long story short, I only just woke up in a Vault last year. I probably used one of those textbooks when it was new.”

“Oh, you poor thing… It must be ages since anyone’s touched you then…” Magnolia said as she caressed Chell’s chest and stomach. 

“Oh, yes….I’ve been very lonely…” Chell said just before kissing her deeply. Magnolia’s hand stroked Chell’s own heat, finding it already dripping there. 

“Oh! Well, someone got excited...” Mags said coyly. She tugged lightly on the small cap of hair on the top of her mound, furthering her sensitivity. 

“Please….please, I want your mouth,” Chell begged. Magnolia parted her legs and swiveled in position between them. There was no time wasted as she dove straight in, sucking her outer lips into her mouth as Chell groaned loudly. Without the hindrance of hair, she buried herself there, rimming Chell’s hot hole with her tongue before slipping as much of the tip into her as possible. Chell reached and grabbed a handful of Magnolia’s hair, pulling gently and rocked her hips in time with Magnolia’s tongue. She moaned and gasped when the brunette moved to suck on her swollen clit. 

“OH fuck that’s good. Riiiight there...thats it….”

It didn’t take long for Chell to come to her own climax. It was ages since her husband had touched her and then after the Cryo chamber, then after the hellish year she spent getting to this point. Her back arched high as she clutched fistfuls of the bedsheets as wave after wave shuddered through her body. Magnolia peered up with a slick grin, and Chell pulled her forward to kiss those talented lips. 

“You’ll never know…but it’s literally been ages since I’ve come with anyone.” 

Magnolia reached over to light a pair of cigarettes, handing one to Chell. “I can’t imagine how. I’d think everyone would be after you, gorgeous.”

“Maybe tryin to kill me, yeah. How did you ever end up at the Third Rail anyway? You’ve got too much talent.”

“Like anyone, it’s been a long road to get here. Everyone in the Commonwealth is just trying to make the best of things. Goodneighbor’s got a lot of protection, and I don’t have to worry about getting harassed by the blowhards at Diamond City. Hancock pays me pretty well, too, so I just stick around.”

“Ah, I see. Hancock again… He stabbed someone to death as I came in. Gotta love the get-up.” Chell chuckled, but Magnolia didn’t seem too amused. 

“Hancock’s turned this town around; none of us would be here or be alive if it weren’t for him,” she said seriously. 

“Hey, I didn’t mean any offense…I’ve seen a shit load out there so I can’t say that I’m all that surprised. Hell, I think I might be more surprised to find another person who has that much pull that actually gives a shit about the little people.”

Magnolia laid beside Chell, tracing the numerous scars that lined her torso with a fingertip. “You could always go talk to him yourself, you know. He doesn’t hide away behind his  
doors like McDonough in DC.”

Chell thought for a moment, dragging off her cigarette. “Yeah, maybe.”

Magnolia hummed. “Well sugar, I hate to be the bearer of bad news….but I have another set comin’ up soon, so I better go.” She swiveled and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the blonde woman for her reaction, hoping it wouldn’t be an emotional one.

“Hey, I understand. Thanks for showing a girl a good time.” Chell sat up as well, kissing her tenderly and smiling. 

“I just can’t do anything long term, ya know? My first love is the stage, and will always be,“ she said as she stood, picking her sparkling red dress up off the weathered floorboards. 

“Don’t think anything of it. I’m sure I’ll see ya around.” Chell followed close behind, sending her farewells from the doorway after Magnolia finished dressing. After saying goodbye, Chell was now alone with her thoughts. The bourbon had mostly worn off by now after the sweat and the orgasms and in the darkness of the hour she prepped for her next job in the warehouses.


	2. Take 'Em To The Cleaners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chell gets a job

Earlier in The Old Statehouse:

His head throbbed, but it wasn’t like it was the first time the withdrawal had him irritated. The voice inside was screaming “JET” and he rifled through the pockets of his frock for the last canister he had on him. 

“Didja see that bombshell out there, Fahr?”

“Yes, fuck, John for the last time I did. You do remember asking me this, like, thirty seconds ago?” His bodyguard huffed in exasperation, throwing her head back as she rolled yet another cigarette.

“Yes..no…well, maybe. Fuck knows, you know I can't remember anything thirty seconds ago.”

The redhead turned her attention to her nailbeds, far too busy to be concerned with Hancock’s enthusiasm over some blonde-haired, blue-eyed drifter. “I don’t see what the big deal is.” 

“Says she’s the new Minutemen General. Where’d Preston find her at I’ll never fuckin know.”

“Hmm… that actually is kinda interesting. Thought I heard that one of the Minutemen was seen workin’ with Deacon.” Fahrenheit sat up a little straighter.

“I wonder if that's why they went straight to the Memory Den, then,” he pondered.

Fahrenheit tightened her lips. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with some newcomer who called herself the leader of the Minutemen, who were disbanded and all but forgotten by most people, coming into their town and into the most controversial business they operate. If the Brotherhood ever found out, the place would be crawling with tin can Paladins and self-righteous fascists. They would most likely execute everyone in town and put Hancock’s head on a spike outside the wall as an example.   
The suspicion in her voice was subtle. “Hancock, I would highly suggest that we keep close watch on this. The Brotherhood –“

“I’m aware of the risks,” He cut her off. “I don’t think she runs with the Brotherhood. She came in with Nicky, remember?” He turned to look at her. “But Goodneighbor comes first, and that you’re absolutely right about. We’ll watch ‘er. Get a few of the boys set up at Rexford and report back if anything looks…off.”

Fahrenheit stood, checking pockets and straightening her chest plate. “Anything else, boss?”

“Yeah, didja wanna get that stick outta yer ass or is that still a permanent fixture?”

“Fuck you.” She flipped him off without even glancing upward, not missing a beat.

“Fuck you, too.” He smiled. 

“Hey, next time you wanna come at me, John, you’re gonna need a better line that that. That was fuckin weak.” 

“Yeah, well, they can’t all be zingers…” he trailed off. That coveted hit he was searching for had been found, and in another instant consumed by the Ghoul. The damaged capillaries in his eyes sparked like a grinder on a rusted car frame. His eyes slowly closed as he rode the hit to completion, exhaling heavily.

“We're still waiting on Charlie to find some lackey who’s willing to clear the Triggermen out of those warehouses you know…” she not so gently reminded him. 

“Hm? Oh...right. If he hasn't found anyone yet I'll go down myself,” he said half serious as he flopped hard on the faded velvet couch, kicking his boots up on the table in front of him.

“If Marowski finds out…”

“Let me handle Marowski. He ain’t gonna know its comin’ from my desk anyway. We need the space for our people who need it; seems like we’re getting more drifters every day. If we're talkin' business then, we need to make plans bout that rat’s nest of Greenskins that are around the corner. It’s threatening the trade line from Bunker Hill an’ we can’t afford to lose it and we can't afford to re-route like Kessler wants. We should hit ‘em head on and clear ‘em out.”

Fahrenheit considered quickly but offered differing advice. “A frontal assault would be a disaster. They have better weapons than even the Triggermen. We’re just gonna have to talk to Kessler about re-routing, and then we can pick the green bastards off at our leisure. They don’t have resources, and if we move the supply line, they’ll weaken themselves out.”

Hancock weighed her advice and sighed. “I’ll see what I can do with Kessler then. It’ll be expensive though. I’ll have to send someone out to talk to her but it might be manageable.”

“Alright, I’m on it. Need anything while I’m out?”

“Score me some Daytripper?”

Fahrenheit rolled her eyes, but nodded to the request. “Fine. But you’ll owe me, you louse.”

“Thanks, sister.” His head tilted back, the last few thrums of the Jet were now almost completely worked out. 

He watched as his right hand woman left out the double doors of his quarters. She would run this place well if he weren’t around to do it. His desire to get out more was growing by the day, certainly more so now that Nick and that woman showed up. From what he heard, she was starting to become a major player in the grand swing of the Commonwealth. For a moment, his memories flashed back to the days when he wasn’t tied down and could roam the land with little responsibility. When the hell did all this happen, anyway? He needed to think clearly, at least for the next hour. Right now, he should be more concerned with what they were up to at the biggest kept secret in Goodneighbor, and whether or not he should be worried about her leaking that secret to the Brotherhood. 

 

Later At The Hotel Rexford

She tried to not look excited to kill a few worthless scumbags. She tried not to giggle as she pulled her Gauss Rifle from its hiding place under the bed. Feeling buzzed and still raw from the Memory Den and coming down from her roll with Magnolia, dispatching a few sleazy Triggermen would help perk her up. Before she left, she sat on the bed with a syringe of Psycho and emptied its contents into her vein. It felt like fire and fury crawling up her arms, slinking up her neck and finding its home behind her eyes. Her pupils dilated as wide as they could get, and she felt as if she could punch a hole through the brick walls of the Hotel. She dallied out into the alleyways before setting to her task. She worked best under the cover of dark, plus the need for discretion was paramount. She wanted to get the drop on them before they realized why she was trespassing on their “turf”. She spent some time talking to a few of the Watch members who seemed impressed by the heat she was packing. Talking about her rifle was making her itchy to start. The Psycho seemed to be the driving impulse. 

From the Statehouse, Hancock watched out the window as she made herself comfortable with the dregs of society. He was humbled by it; knowing that someone who could take the time out of their day to speak to someone, give that someone a little comfort. Most people wouldn’t think twice but there she was. She seemed to have strapped her gun to her back, wondering if it was her that had accepted the offer to eliminate the gangsters from his property. He smiled. He wished he wasn’t just looking out the window, like a thousand times before. The nagging voice in his mind told him to relax and take another hit, otherwise he would get bitchy about not being able to do what he was so very good at all those years ago. Fahrenheit strolled in with a burlap sack full of Hancock’s chem order. He eyed it hungrily and strode over to the table grasping the dirty green bottle which held his favorite hallucinogen. Fahrenheit took up on the couch opposite him, grabbing a book that looked like it had seen the better part of an incinerator. 

“Hey, Fahr…get a load of this…”

She put down her book and moved to the window he was peering out of. The General was out there on the streets carrying serious heat. 

“Looks like she took Charlie’s job after all,” she stated without much enthusiasm.

“Looks like. How much you wanna bet she clears em’ in…say….two hours?”

“She’s pretty green yet. I say it’ll take ‘er three. Whatcha puttin’ on it?”

“How’s 50 caps?”

“Done.”

Down below, most of the street had cleared out. Her PipBoy read 1:24 AM and she rose from her spot on the bench just outside the Third Rail walking slowly to the first warehouse next to the Memory Den. Pulling a bobby pin and screwdriver from her pockets, she checked for anyone nosey enough to wonder what she was doing before jimmying the door open. She didn’t immediately unstrap the rifle, choosing her knife in favor of a firearm. She spied a Triggerman bent over an old Pre-War nudie mag at a table in the destroyed kitchen. As Chell crept closer, she thanked the Maker that he was too busy to notice her rise behind him. She grabbed a fistful of hair and played his trachea like a violin, the knife slicing deep, severing his windpipe and vocal chords. His blood spurted in a grotesque arch and painted the walls. She stumbled as she tried to catch his fall, not wanting to alert the others of the murder. She inhaled the iron rich smell of blood; the Psycho in her making her head thrum as if she made a sacrifice to some ancient Death God. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she despised that part of her that started enjoying killing these scumbags who were in her way. It wasn’t long until she found more of them. Unfortunately, an old can gave away that the fools in the warehouse weren’t alone. She cursed her foot that kicked it and bared her teeth as she pulled her revolver from her holster. Ducking behind a doorframe, she waited for the barrage of bullets to pause before peeking out for a few shots of her own. Her time in the military paid off they fell one by one. She swept each room before starting up the next flight of stairs until one of the Triggermen threw a grenade down the stairs where she had positioned herself. The sound was deafening and shrapnel buried itself into her left shoulder and thigh. She cried for a moment, then gritted her teeth in renewed rage. 

“IM GONNA FUCKIN’ KILL YOU!” she roared.

Bounding the steps two at a time, she caught up with the poor idiot who threw the explosive. She pistol whipped him so hard she took off a good portion of his lips and nose. He shivered on the ground, clutching his face, and begged her not to kill him. In her Psycho-fueled rage she smiled sadistically and fired her shot between his eyes. 

She worked quickly and efficiently, not wanting to waste too much time on the first building. Some of the poor souls on the upper floors tried to take cover behind walls and doors; Chell just blasted holes in the structures, knowing that her bullets would penetrate the crumbling sheetrock and rotting wood. It wasn’t long until their screams went silent, and all she could hear with the pit-patter of dripping blood on the dusty floorboards. As she exited, she double checked to make sure no one was watching outside the building before trekking to the next. The second and third warehouses went similarly: she snuck in and finished as many as she could with her knife before switching to her revolver or The Last Minute and exterminated all of Hancock’s rats. She felt the Psycho start to fade, and the itch creeping through her fingers to jump another syringe became stronger each moment. 

By the time everything and everyone was dead, it was just before 3 AM. She was utterly exhausted and painfully aware she would be picking shrapnel out of her side before she could even sleep. The lobby at the Rexford was mercifully empty; she didn’t want to explain why she had so many tiny flecks of grey matter and blood all over her face and coat. Finding her room was never a more welcome sight and she began to peel the bloodied clothes from her skin. She nursed her wounds and removed as much metal as she could before hitting a vial of Med-X and finally passing out on the stained mattress below.

In the Statehouse, Hancock smugly extended his hand, waiting for his 50 cap reward. Fahrenheit hated losing almost as much as she hated losing to a cocky winner and threw the burlap bag at him, cursing under her breath.

“Go to bed, John Hancock. I’m done with you,” she said bitterly.

“Aww, don’t be like that.” He laughed. “You’re my friend, be nice to me.” 

“You’re lucky I don’t smother you in your sleep.” Fahrenheit flipped him off as she walked out the doors to the third floor where her mattress was. Hancock stayed, staring out the window at the Rexford where she disappeared. He wondered to himself if she had gotten hurt, tried to imagine what it was like mowing them all down in there. _God damn, I need to get out._ He reached for his tin of Mentats and chased it with a weak hit of Jet to steady the wild compulsion that threatened to escape. _All in good time...._

 

The Next Morning:

The first streaks of sunlight burned through the cracks in the boards onto Chell’s face. She tossed and turned to escape, but in doing so rolled too roughly on her arm. The pain seared through her brain, killing any last chances to sleep in. 

“Ah fuck…” she groaned and reached for her glasses and her cigarettes.

Gingerly, she stood and tried to stretch, taking care to not to pop the shoddy stitches she sewed the night before. She rummaged through her Chem bag and plucked a nice, fat syringe of Med-X which was happily emptied into her vein and bumped a line of crushed Buffout before attempting to dress herself. She frowned at the state of her uniform; her General’s coat was still all bloody and now in need of some patchwork. Instead, she opted for the leather jacket and worn fatigues that she also had salvaged off of Kellogg’s body. It had nice armor plating down the left arm; something to protect the wounds in case someone would try to get handsy or want to bump into her. The bird’s nest that was her hair was tamed eventually and pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The image that stared back at her in the mirror looked gaunt, like she hadn’t slept or eaten much and was on way too many chems. The freckles that dotted her forehead and cheeks stood out in stark comparison to her normally tanned complexion. She knew she had to slow down on them, but she almost couldn’t justify why. Nate was dead and there was an outside chance that she may never see Shaun again. Sure, she had a few friends that she had made in the New World, but her old friends and her family were all long dead. Shame and doubt started to cloud her mind, and in a moment of weakness, tears formed at the corners of her eyes. 

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she commanded. “You can pull yourself together.” 

Chell averted her own gaze angrily, feeling stupid for feeling so worthless. She took a deep breath and concluded she was most likely going through withdrawal from the Psycho and the mix of the drugs in her system now. With that knowledge she was able to swallow the hurt a little easier and maintain composure. Seeing as it was Hancock who ordered this hit, she decided she would collect payment from him personally, bypassing the tin can at the bar. She devoured some dried Radstag and a can of water, readied her gear, and left for the Statehouse.

Hancock had fallen asleep on the couch just like the millions of other times before. He didn’t even actually have his own bed here and, for the most part, just claimed the upholstery. He awoke with a start; Fahrenheit had kicked him in his shin. 

“Wake up. Your General’s at the door. She wants to see you ‘bout last night.”

He responded by covering his weathered face with the tricorn. 

“Asshole. Did you hear me? Get up, dick.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’m going to let her in.”

“Ughnnnn…zzzz,” he waived her off then buzzed back into a semi-sleep.

Fahrenheit rolled her eyes and kicked him one more time before opening the doors.

Chell had her hands stuffed in the pockets of her pants, fidgeting with a stray bottle cap that she found there. When the door opened abruptly, she faced the woman who had given her the evil eye yesterday after Hancock’s welcoming demonstration. 

“So you’re the General, huh? Good luck with the thing on the couch.”

Chell peered over the other woman’s shoulder, only able to see his hat and maybe a corner of the signature coat. 

“Is he even conscious?"

“He’s all yours or whatever...good luck.” Fahrenheit closed the double doors behind her leaving Chell in the quiet, stuffy room. She adjusted her glasses to see better in the low-light and thickness in the air: various chems of all kinds were spread like a smorgasbord just waiting to be consumed, stacks of old Pre-War money lay on the coffee table and at least 3 or 4 large tomes with 'Accounting' scrawled across the front cover. It smelled like heavy cigarette smoke and old books. The General studied him as he lay sleeping. It was rare to see someone who looked so relaxed anymore, a privilege she surmised he enjoyed from having such tight security. After some time, she coughed lightly to see if he would notice she was there.

“I’m awake, ya know.”

The sudden comment made Chell jump just slightly. “Oh, were you now? Why didn’t you say anything then?”

“Wanted to see what you would do.”

“Like what? Shank you like you shanked that guy out front? Or was there something else you were expecting?" She grinned.

“Hey Finn had it comin' anyway. He was gettin' too big for his leather pants." He peered from the edge of his hat at her. " You come to visit but nothin' to offer, huh? Some manners..." he cracked a sarcastic grin.

“Uh...yeah.. here." she tossed the slab of jerky she was gnawing at on the table and chuckled. “I got rid of your vermin problem, ya know.”

At this he finally sat up, slowly and with a good deal of effort and strain. “Yeah, I know. We all took bets on how long it would take you.”

Chell took a seat across the table, kicking her heels up on the coffee table and resting her arms on the back of the black leather couch. “Bets, huh? Who won?”

“Oh, I did. Only a dumb ass or a smart ass would ever bet against me. I said it would take you two hours or less and you finished in an hour forty. Fahrenheit was a sore loser though see, I know how to pick my ponies.”

Chell curled her lip at being compared to a race horse, "Fahrenheit? Was that the woman who let me in?"

"That's right. Don't ever piss her off, ya feel me? She will fuck your whole year up so I'd advise against any sudden moves, right?" He knew she was probably listening at the door. She'd hold his praise of her against him, he just knew it. “So, I guess you’re here to get paid.” He pried himself from the couch with more effort than he’d thought he would need, grunting as his knees cracked at the exertion.

“I was told I would get a few caps out of the deal, yeah,” she said as she lit the end of a bent cigarette.

Hancock side eyed her. “Ya know, I'll admit I've been hearin' things about ya from more than a few of my people. I'm glad that someone capable was able to help out; I have plans to turn those warehouses into housing,” he said as he walked back to his place on his couch, tossing the heavy bag her way. She picked it up and weighed it briefly then stored them away in her belt pouch. 

“Sounds noble, I can relate quite a bit actually. What else have you heard?”

Hancock reclined, removing a canister of Jet and emptying its contents into his lungs. “You know…things here and there. Heard you were helpin’ some of the folks out there find homes, helpin’ the Minutemen get their base back. Pretty impressive stuff, f’ya ask me.”

Chell blushed and turned her eyes down. “Yeah, well, people out there need a hand. I don't see too many other people bustin' ass.” 

Hancock lit a cigarette and studied her. He sensed disapproval in her voice, but brushed it off. “Well, if yer feelin’ ambitious…I got another job for ya, if you want it. I’ve had some issues with a few of the caravans coming from Bunker Hill, by way of the bridge to the north of us. Guards have been sayin’ they see Raider bodies everywhere and they don’t feel right comin’ that way anymore. It’s costin’ me a small fortune, ‘cause now they want to re-route. I wanna know why.”

“Dead Raiders? What’s the big deal ‘bout that?”

“Not so much that they’re dead, but how they’re dead..ya dig? Caravan guards don't get spooked like that and they say they’re all messed up, mutilated....”

“Like someone’s tryin’ make a statement?”

“Dunno. Head on up, do some reconnaissance. Let me know what’s the story, and I’ll make it worth your time.”

“How much we talkin’? You sure you don’t want me to do anything more than just look?”

“Nah, just look, that's all. Cause I like ya I’ll give you 250 caps. Whaddya say?”

“How bout 3?"

He sneered. _Another opportunistic merc, huh?_ "Nah...ya know what, on second thought, how 'bout 2. You don't get to play me like you played Chuck downstairs." he countered.

Chell felt her face get hot for a moment and bit her lip. "Alright. I can do it for 2..." she said, embarrassed.

Hancock cocked a half smile and tossed her a box of Mentats. “Here, can never have too many of these in your pocket either. Have you tried the Grape ones yet?” 

She popped a tab under her tongue. She could've sworn her college buddy came up with the idea to mix grape cold medicine with the Methylphenidate 200 years ago. “I have, but not very often....been a while."

Chell rose from her seat, adjusting her holster which housed the revolver. While she wasn’t looking, Hancock stared, admiring her profile; the way she carried herself. She didn’t look beaten by life in the Commonwealth like everyone else. She walked like she had purpose. He craved that in himself, knowing one time he had it, too. If she wasn’t going to Pickman's Gallery, maybe he would've come with...

She waived her hand in front of his view, "Hey, where is this place anyway..."

He snapped out of his reverie. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“I could tell.” She chuckled. “Where is it I’m going, again? I don’t think you told me.”

“Oh fuck, I didn’t say, did I? It’s Pickman's Gallery, right by the bridge.”

“Pickman? Like the Lovecraft story?” her eyebrow arched. It wasn't everyday that a reference would get tossed out like that. 

“Don't think I've read that one, sister." he stated blankly. 

“Oh. Nevermind, it’s a PreWar thing, I guess,” she dismissed, with a hint of forlornness. It was things like this that made her feel out of her own time. 

“Whaddya mean by that exactly?”

“Aren’t you Pre-War too? I thought all you Ghouls were?”

“Me? Nah, lemmie tell you somethin’ not all of us Ghouls are PreWar, alright.?” his irritation was prevalent. "I came to Goodneighbor about….hmm maybe ten years ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then. Got into these real wild streaks, benders. All the exotic chems I could find. Found a guy that said he had a one of a kind hit, some…experimental radiation based jumper. And only one hit. Sure, I’m livin’ with the side effects now, but what’s not to like about immortality? So to answer your question, no. Everyone who's Ghoulified went through something different, everyone went through their own little hell."

“Hey, I meant no offence, its still all kinda new to me.” she said as she tapped her Pip Boy for emphasis. Sensing that she already caused a stir she decided getting into time traveling would be wasted at this point. 

"Well, Vault Dweller or not don't go generalizing us, ya dig? You don't earn friends here with that kinda prejudice."

“Right. Sorry.“ she resigned. ”Alright, I’ll let you know what I find then.” She turned defeated to open the double door.

Hancock stared at her as she left with a faint scowl. Fahrenheit strode in, biting the inside of her cheek and folded her hands behind her back. “Pickman’s huh?”

“Yeah, Pickman's. Put 'er to work; I figure if she can clear 3 warehouses in a night she’d have no problem finding out what we need at Pickman’s." he switched from the awkwardness of Chell's departure to business at hand. "Maybe if we can take care of it we won’t have to re-route Kessler’s caravan.” He was hoping that it would take his mind off of the exchange.

“If she makes it back. I hope you know what you’re doing putting that kind of stock into her.”


	3. I am the Devil, and I've come to do the Devil's work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into madness....

According to her Pip Boy, Pickman’s Gallery was just north of Railroad HQ. She was surprised she hadn’t heard of it beforehand; Deacon, of all people, should’ve told her about it at least she thought to herself casually. About a half block from the building though the sweet, sickly stench of rotting flesh became more and more apparent. In the overwhelming trash heaps she picked out more and more decayed body parts. Chell grimaced but pressed on until she came to the front of the building with a small courtyard tucked away behind decaying brick walls. There was a lantern lit in the corner, along with a body of a thin, pale Raider. She turned the corpse over, checking pockets and satchels for anything she could use. By her guess, he was dead maybe 4 hours or so; cool to the touch, but still fairly pliable and no bloat or discoloration just yet. She unpacked her pistol and pressed her body up against the doorframe. She turned the knob and pushed; taking care to sweep the points before closing the door silently behind her. 

As if the smell wasn’t enough; the place was Death. She immediately knew she wasn’t alone here; upstairs she could hear a group of fearful men who seemed much too preoccupied to pay any attention to the front door. Silently she crept to the right hand side of the hallway and observed that the lower levels were pretty clear of living people, but that changed upon opening the Gallery doors. Chell doubled over once the full force of the stench hit her like a stampede of Brahmin. In the center of the room was a pile of bodies in various states of decay. Their heads had been cut cleanly and mounted on spikes which circled the pile. Only once there was nothing left to purge did she get a look at what hung on the walls. It was an art gallery after all; the paintings reminded her of a few she’d seen before the bomb: Picasso, Haring…although they didn’t use human blood, hair, and entrails. She wretched again, but one body had caught her attention. He was intact, like whoever had started this didn’t finish what they were doing. When she felt confident that she could hold back the bile, she rifled through his pockets until she came across a holotape. Chell bit her lip and wrestled with the idea of even entertaining the idea of playing it. First thing was first…she needed to leave here and leave now. Once outside the doors, she popped in the tape and adjusted the volume setting. The voice was faint:

“Seth…..Seth its me. I found out what happened to our boys near the old art gallery. They’re….dead. THEY’RE FUCKIN’ DEAD SETH! Oh god…I-I’m lookin’ at a…jesus…I’m lookin’ at a goddamn painting of Kyle’s body! Fuck…..God what did they do to him…”

*A second person starts humming*

“Who-Who’s there? WHO THE FUCK IS THERE?!?”

The second person spoke, his voice was cool and level, “Admiring my collection? I’m afraid its not complete yet..”

“Sss-stay away! Fuck you, man STAY AWAY!” the Raider panicked.

“Yes. Just like that. Hold that expression…”

The tape went to static; Chell slumped in the corner feeling numb. This was sick…like beyond sick, beyond the realm of what she was willing to accept. The Commonwealth didn’t lack in atrocities but this place…this was an abomination.   
And Hancock made you come here….the guy who knows everything that goes on in the North End made you come here.   
She picked herself up off the floor with a new resolution. First she would purge this place from what’s left of the Earth, then it was back to Goodneighbor to tell that cocky asshole he should do his own dirty work. Upstairs she could hear at least 3 different sets of feet shuffling around; 3 different voices trembling with uncertainty. Pulling the hammer back on her pistol, she tip-toed up the stairs trying in vain not to creak the floorboards. In their heightened sense of fear, they heard her ascent and Chell narrowly ducked behind a chest of drawers in the long hallway as bullets whizzed by and peppered the furniture. Fear makes a man sloppy and exposed however, and they didn’t last long against her. Each room upstairs was dedicated to the killer’s “art”; bodies were flayed and sprawled out on gurneys with a sticky, faded playing card stuck in between the bones. 

_Lovecraftian, indeed._

Around the corner she found another staircase which lead to the attic. She could still hear people shouting and screaming but they were notably faded and distant, like they were coming from elsewhere in the house. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears when she swung the door of the attic open. The air was stale and musty like she had inhaled an old book and she fidgeted with the light on her PipBoy. She was surprised to find yet another corpse, but this one was desiccated and almost mummified. Chell curled her lip in disgust and kicked at the body’s foot sending a rush of pillbugs scattering across the floor from underneath.

“UGH!” she yelped in disgust and clamored up to the top of an old desk while the swarm passed. 

_This is too much…._

Chell reached for the flask in her pocket and the tin of Mentats Hancock had tossed her way. As she swallowed the pill, she thought bitterly that jobs like this were all people seemed to want from her. The whiskey burned down her throat as she thought about Hancock in his room, probably getting head from some Jet addict while he gambled on her life again. She sighed heavily and checked the floor for any remaining infestation before strolling to the furthest back wall. The air was cleaner here and seemed to be moving; it felt like drinking clean water after spitting out a mouthful of dust. There it was….the wall was broken away behind one of the dressers that was haphazardly shoved in the corner. Chell squeezed through and found that there was a narrow passage behind the wall with a hidden staircase leading down below the foundation of the house. The voices were louder now, echoing off the catacomb walls. Further down was a small group of Raiders in one of the lesser chambers but she wasted no time in putting them all down. Raiders were the scum of the earth, but they were still people and deserving of a quick death. She half expected Ferals to be hiding out in the corners but these old Colonial tunnels were blessedly free. The voices grew louder and more concentrated once she reached the main chamber. The first sight of this alternative work space had caused her to reach for her flask again and take a long pull. He was working on a new piece it seemed, based on the freshness of the carcasses and the still shining “paint” on the plywood that was propped up against the tarnished copper pipes. 

“You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done, you fuck!” a large, loud man in Raider armor screamed. 

Chell honed in on its direction which came from a narrow side tunnel. The room went pitch black when she flipped the light off and readied her pistol. At the end of the tunnel she could see that there were two Raiders holding a smaller man in a suit by each arm, while the supposed leader was threatening him. 

“All I’ve done was give you immortality. You should be grateful,” the suited man said coolly. 

“Let’s fuck ‘im up, Slab,” one of lackeys holding Pickman wheezed, bending the man’s arm harder forcing him to the ground. 

Chell aimed carefully at the smaller man and shot; Slab wheeled around and sprayed the walls and ceiling above her with his machine gun. Chell used the decaying brick pillars for cover, and waited for the pauses in between his bursts of fire. She caught the other raider in the chest and he crumpled to the ground, gasping for air until he bled out. Slab moved quickly trying to find a good vantage point to negate Chell’s cover, but she had the upper ground . 

_Everyone protects their upper body areas but rarely the lower legs and feet._

She clipped him just behind the knee, severing a major artery. Her second shot lodged into his neck, drowning him in his own blood. She came out from around the pillar to find Pickman dusting his suit off. She aimed at him but didn’t immediately fire, instead she waited to see what he would do.

“I believe thanks are in order.” His voice blanketed her in black velvet.

“You’ve got a lot to answer for, Pickman.” She spat.

“You and I are cut from the same cloth you know. I know about you, General. I’ve heard what these pigs whisper about you. I’m honored, in fact, to actually meet you face to face.”

“You’re fuckin’ sick! Raiders or not, you don’t fuckin finger paint with their organs!”

“You have your methods…need I remind you about your symphony at the Corvega Plant? Oh, yes. I’ve heard about the body count. Extraordinary.” His tight-lipped smile stirred a flutter in her chest. 

_Is he for real? Is he flirting with me?_

“This. Stops NOW! You will leave the Commonwealth and never return, so help me I will end you if I so happen to see another one of your cards….”

He ignored her threat and turned his back to her, flexing his pulled shoulder. “I have no quarrel with you, killer.” As he turned he held out a black key. “Here….a small token of my appreciation for rescuing me.”  
Without lowering her pistol, she scowled and reached for it. A moment passed between them and as her fingers plucked the key he grazed the side of her pointer finger with his and let out a soft single laugh. 

“See you around…” 

It was a full 3 minutes she started at the blackness from where he disappeared into. Whatever this was, it wasn’t natural. She couldn’t even be sure she didn’t actually just accept a gift from the Devil himself. She spotted a rusted out ladder that lead to the upper floors and bounded up the rungs two at a time.

It was dusk by the time she spotted the neon lights of Goodneighbor. She crashed through the gate and practically ran to the bar in an attempt to drown the images of severed heads and lolling tongues and the smell of blood and shit and piss. Charlie didn’t even have a moment to ask before she demanded an entire bottle of vodka and downed the first two shots without hesitation. She could feel that unholy chunk of metal burning in her pocket and every time she closed her eyes all that could be seen were chunks of wet meat.

_Fucking Hancock_. Of course he knew what was there! He just used her so that he could make more money in Goodneighbor. He’s probably laughing up there with his entourage right now. She had enough of people trying to take advantage of her. She was tired and she just wanted her son back and to go back to living in 2077 with her husband and being a good little housewife. Her eyes burned, her lungs burned, her head pounded away. She took one last pull at her bottle before sliding off the stool, glaring at Charlie who stopped cleaning to watch her. She slammed more caps than was necessary on the counter for her drinks and cleared the room towards the staircase. Fueled by vodka and wrath she opened the door to the Statehouse violently before being greeted roughly by the Watchmen. 

“Easy, lady. Why don’t you turn right on around before you do somethin’ you regret.”

She shot them the evil eye and wasn’t surprised to see more than one of them shirk away. “Fuck you. I’m here to see Hancock so get the fuck outta my way.” She barked before shoving her way through the weak barricade and climbed the spiral stairs. 

Hancock was on the couch with a Jet canister in one hand, head tilted back from the hit he had just taken. At the sound of her footsteps at the door, he lazily looked her way. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite scout. What’dya find out about Pickman’s?”

“You got some nerve, Hancock.” She glared and threw the holotape in his direction. He arched his browline and sat up, picking the discarded slab of plastic between his slender fingers and twirled it.

“That was the most fucked up thing I’ve seen. I never thought I’d see something so horrible in all my life. Even living in this shithole world now, after having killed how many people, I never thought I would see what took place there.”

“So I take it Pickman was killing Raiders…”

“No, not just killing them!” she interrupted. “He was torturing them, using their body parts for his ‘art’. He had a whole room dedicated to it. Would use their blood as paint…It was horrific.”

Hancock remained cool and lit a cigarette, “Yet here you stand. You looked into the Abyss and the Abyss stared back. Most other people would have cracked; you seem to have done well for yourself, sister.”

The nonchalance took her aback. “Are you fuckin’ serious? You could have gotten any of your people to go, but you waited…didn’t you? Some dumb fuckin’ schlub needs a job so let’s send them to the butcher’s. Hancock, every single day of my fuckin’ life is spent trying to find fuckin’ sense of what happened to the world and then this! As if I hadn’t been through enough! Tell me you didn’t know what was there! Look at me and tell me you had no idea!” she moved like a blur, suddenly clearing the space between then until she no more than a foot from him, glaring down at him with her fists clenched.

Hancock took a drag, stood up, and faced her looking grim. “General, I think you’re forgettin’ who you’re talkin’ to. I could give a fuck less whatchu’ve done with your life up until this point. I’m the man who’s tryin’ to keep food on the table for my people when no one else would give them a second thought, by any means necessary when it suits me. Where do you get off bargin’ in here demandin’ answers to questions you formed without knowin’ the whole story? Look, I get that you’re pissed but it’s over now and you eliminated a threat…a nasty motherfuckin’ one at that, so I’m glad I didn’t hire the wrong broad to do it and besides why would I waste caps hirin’ you if I already knew what was going on up there? So congratulations on making this world a little safer, but don’t come into my house and accuse me of somethin’ I had no part of.” His voice burned into her and she felt that flutter in the pit of her stomach again.

Chell wasn’t expecting this kind of push back; most people didn’t out respect or fear or awe. She turned from him, feeling drained; she didn’t want to fight, didn’t want to yell, didn’t want to be angry. She just wanted the memory of that place stricken for eternity, and she wanted to focus on the reasons why she even came here in the first place. She couldn’t do that if she pissed off Hancock. He had a point and she needed to keep in mind that everyone out here was just trying to survive. If she hadn’t have gone, Pickman would probably still be operating and who knows if he would’ve been satisfied with sticking to Raiders. 

Eventually the wall cracked, “You’re right,” she sighed.

“Of course I’m right.” He said, smugly. As he reclaimed his spot on the couch the dust in the seams and stuffing puffed out of the numerous holes and scratches in the fabric.

“C’mon sister, no worries here. Have a seat…you want some Jet?” he offered. The hard edge of his voice softened a bit and apologetic kindness in his eyes. 

Chell bit the inside of her cheek, nodded, and tossed her duffle bag on the far end of the couch. Hancock tossed the canister he had hit from to her over the table.

“So General, why don’t you tell me why you’re really pissed. I’d like to help ya if I can, seein’ how you've helped me twice now.”

She paused for a moment and pressed the canister at her lips. “I just feel like the whole damn world is laughing at me. The Commonwealth, the Minutemen, the Institute…. _you_. I keep fighting, thinking that if I kill enough scumbags it will make the world a better place, and I feel like for every asshole I put down, three more spring up in his place. I’m going after the Institute, they took my kid and ever since I clawed my way out of the Vault getting him back is all I want, but fuck..this isn’t my world, this isn’t my time here…everyone’s hanging on the edge of that coil and if I don’t help them they’ll die. You know what its like to try so hard for people and still watch it all fail?”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “As a matter of fact, I do. So why do you do it then? Why not just say fuck it and forget them?” the cherry of his cigarette lit up his face. He was searching…he needed to know what she was made of here.

“I just can’t. Everyone needs a hand, everyone deserves a chance to at least survive. If it can’t be afforded to me, then I can at least try to give to someone who needs it.” She kept her head down but looked up at him over the edge of her glasses. “Its more than a lot of others do.”

“If there is anyone who knows how you feel, it’s me, sister. That’s what I’ve tried to build Goodneighbor to be, we’re here for people who don’t have nothin’…but do you know what it takes to keep that together? I’m a Statesman, not a magician. You know what though, it’s the freaks like you and me that are trying to make a difference, and as long as we keep tryin’ they’ll never beat us. If people need helpin’, we help them. If they need hurtin’….well, then we hurt them. It’s not hard.”

She looked up at him and stared into his depthless eyes. She felt herself get pulled into them and almost didn’t make it out alive. Inhaling sharply, she stood up abruptly and internally she demanded that she swallow whatever it was she was feeling. If what she was feeling was correct, it needed to be buried deep and never allowed to surface again. 

“I should go...” She spoke quickly, knowing that if she didn’t leave now she would regret it. Her work was too important, and she needed to get back on the road. Nick was right; Hancock was a dangerous distraction.

“Oh.” He made no effort to hide the disappointment in his voice. “Well, General, it was a pleasure. The Minutemen are lucky to have you, ya know. My door’s always open, c’mon up and visit anytime you want.”

After adjusting her glasses, she nodded. “Maybe. See ya around, Mayor,” and turned out the door. 

After she left, Hancock registered a feeling that hadn’t been known to him in a long time. No one had spoken to him like that and left with all their bones in one place. Why would’ve she been different? 

_Because she’s not trying to fuck you over, John. She’s trying to make a difference, tryin’ to help._

He grappled with this thought, but there was more to it. He found himself wishing she’d come back…if anything just to shoot the shit, get high and get to know more about her. Here was a dame that held her own, a warrior with an internal tempest. This train of thought made him reach for his Mentats in an attempt to seek out the root cause of his fascination. 

Against better odds, he liked this General.


	4. "Here I Come To Save The Daaaaay!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Doers beware! The Silver Shroud comes for YOU!

Hancock’s room was incredibly stuffy for this late July evening. Sprawled out on the couch, he twirled an empty canister of Jet between his fingers as the radio in the corner blared out the most recent episode of the Silver Shroud. In the past he had barely paid any attention to it as Kent Connolly would go on and on with the same ol’ story. Poor kid, stuck in the past before he turned Ghoul clinging to the vestiges of his former life in order to cope with his present one. 

_How are you different, Johnny boy? You’re suckin’ the Jet down like its runnin’ out of style._

It had been several months since Hancock had last seen General Holoway. Last time anything exciting happened ‘round here, he thought. Fortunately, Kent’s radio program had suspiciously become more interesting in the last couple of days. The younger Ghoul was calling out the dregs of Goodneighbor on air and no sooner was it broadcast then that schmuck was dead. _This is my kind of programming_ , Hancock smirked; a chem pusher near Bobbi No-Nose’s place was just gunned down savagely by the ultra-virtuous Silver Shroud. He could almost hear Marowski already screaming about the loss in profits but it meant that the fucker couldn’t sell chems to the orphans that came through. That shit never settled right with the Mayor’s office.

The naked blonde in his lap traced her hand down his opened shirt and across his scarred chest before reaching into his pockets for the next canister of Jet. 

“Fancy ‘nother trip, Mr. Mayor?” she purred as she pressed the canister and drew a breath. Her lungs full of Jet, she leaned in to take the head of his cock into her mouth as the chem worked in her brain. He bit his lip and moaned as she engulfed him, but without his own hit he quickly grew bored. He grabbed at one of the many spent canisters, tossing empty after empty across the room. His boredom grew to agitation as the woman was still attempting to please him. 

“Hey, uh, I appreciate the effort doll,” he said as he pushed her shoulders back. “but ya know, I think we’re done here. Thanks an’ all but I think I’m alright. Feel free to stay upstairs if you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

She started to protest, but he was already buttoned and heading for the door. He found Fahrenheit in the other room where she usually spent time while he was “entertaining” with her nose stuck in a Pre-War book.

He kicked at her feet propped up on the short table. “What the fuck do you think you’re doin’?” he mocked, sitting on the opposite end of the chaise lounge she was curled in.

“Funny, I was gonna ask the same thing of you, John. Do you mind? I’m tryin’ to read.”

He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pockets and lit one. “Fahr, I can’t stand it anymore. I’m goin’ fuckin nuts in this place.” He dragged a gnarled hand across his forehead and up his scalp. He knew that if he was still human he’d probably be sweating his ass off.

“Yeah, well, join the club. Heard that Bobbi was gonna try to make a move on ya, so I’m leaving for The Fens to the Strongroom in a few days.”

He grunted in between drags. “Oh, fuck Bobbi! That ol’ bitch has it comin, ya know. She’s an idiot if she thinks she’s actually gonna pull off this heist of hers.”

“Maybe you should hire the Silver Shroud,” she said sarcastically. “Heard he’s cleaning up, could probably take out Bobbi for ya.”

“Kent always finds the craziest people. That’s not a bad idea though, maybe I will.” He grinned, calling her bluff.

“Well, whoever it is, Sinjin can’t be thrilled. There’s a rumor he was threatening to bring in his gang and start a war.”

Hancock leaned back, muscling his boots onto the lap of his bodyguard who was none too happy at the intrusion. 

“The last thing I want is Sinjin in my town.” His jovial tone took on more serious notes. He shut his eyes tight, sighed, but then suddenly brightened, “Hey, before you leave, do me a favor, right? Stop by Kent’s to put out another broadcast… tell him that I wanna meet the Shroud! Maybe give ‘im a little direction...if you catch my meaning. If whoever’s crazy enough to actually pull this Shroud shit off then maybe we can get ‘im to take out Smiling Kate and Northy, maybe Sinjin will be pissed enough to go after ‘im himself.”

His bodyguard was almost too focused on Hancock’s dirty boots resting on her thigh to hear what he suggested and shoved his feet off of her.

“You must be fuckin’ high, John. You seriously wanna put some costumed freak up against Sinjin?”

“Hey, hey…watch who you call ‘costumed freak’.” And gestured to his own partially put together outfit. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Fine. I’ll pay him a visit…been meaning to stop by the Memory Den anyway.”

Hancock shifted and reached in between the cushions of the lounge finally finding a canister of Jet that _wasn’t_ empty and proceeded to correct that. 

_Wow, this must be some of the new shit that’s been comin’ in. Stuff’s been amazing the last month._

Recently some of the caravans’ latest shipments were blessed with chems mixed by some new wizard in the ‘Wealth. The hits were clean without too much benzene; his lungs hurt noticeably less since he got his leathery hands on it. _Strong too….much more potent than the usual stuff._ He didn’t need nearly as much for the same type of high, but for him? Slowing down wasn’t in his wheelhouse. What did it matter anyway? Who fuckin’ cared if he was almost too high to function? His thoughts were scattered until the only one he could focus on was whats-her-face in the parlor room. He had already forgotten about the Silver Shroud as he left the room with a grin, looking for the girl to help him with his dilemma.

_2 weeks later…._

 

Chell’s heart was in her throat as she flipped off the Silver Shroud radio through her PipBoy.

“What’s good, Boss?”

Chell looked up warily at the source of the question. “We gotta go meet Hancock.”

RJ MacCready shrugged. “So? You’ve met him before, right?”

“Wellll…….I may not have left on the best of terms.” She bit her lip.

It was during her hasty escape from Goodneighbor that she had been put into this position in the first place. She had intended on just leaving immediately to hole up at Railroad HQ for a few days but no; her sentimentality told her to stop by and say goodbye to Irma and Amari first. That’s when she was introduced to Kent Connolly. He was endearing and sweet, she’d thought, the poor thing. The room he stayed in at the Memory Den reminded her of her own room as a teenager, plastered with pictures of comic book characters and pop culture. His idea was to have someone grab the old Shroud costume at Hubris Comics then play _real life_ Silver Shroud with the criminals in Goodneighbor. She had been exhausted, but decided that it was an endeavor worth taking since Hancock couldn’t keep that kind of scum out of his own town.

MacCready had been a welcome addition as well. During her last drunken bender at the Third Rail she had barged in on some Gunners who were trying to shake the former merc down for caps and after a few words before she even knew it, she hired him on. Now she had to see Hancock again, which she wasn’t sure she was ready for. She felt foolish about the last time she saw him drunk and angry, and the polyester costume was stifling in the summer heat.  
Mac shrugged. “Well, I guess we’ll see when we get there, then. Either we walk out and you keep doin’ the Shroud thing….or we’re both dead! Pretty simple, although please don’t get us killed, alright?”

“Don’t worry Mac, I promise you’ll leave intact,” she said, approaching the familiar neon lights. 

_Here we go…._

The courtyard was empty, no Raider to shake them down this time. She eyed the Statehouse nervously as the pair approached and opened the weathered doors. The Watchmen did the obligatory double-take then realized they recognized the face under the hat. Whether or not they made their usual comments was lost on her; the blood rushing in her ears made it impossible to hear anything they said. At the top of the stairs behind the closed parlor doors what she _did_ hear were the sounds of some girl moaning and getting fucked, loudly. Chell stopped dead at the doors, face burning red as she eavesdropped on the activity inside. She swallowed hard again, but this time was due to the pit of heat that had started to burn inside as she heard his noises, the low groans of his pleasure. 

“General? Good, you’re here.” Fahrenheit appeared from the back room, leaning against the doorframe opposite of the staircase.

Chell jumped and turned to face his bodyguard. “Oh, hey. You knew it was me?” 

Fahrenheit lit a cigarette and blew a steady stream of smoke out, “Of course. Jesus, look at you…” She eyeballed her up and down. “He doesn’t know, by the way. That detail is one of the few things I’ve kept from him.”

Chell tried to feint indifference. “He sounds….busy enough. I doubt he'd care if it were me anyway.”

“He’s been at this for months. Unfocused, distracted…It’s your fault, you know.”

“I don’t understand…why my fault?” Chell was now thoroughly confused and slightly offended. She had nothing to do with whatever it was Fahrenheit was insinuating. 

Fahrenheit rolled her eyes; the glow of her cigarette lit up her face as she took a drag. “Not many people can read Hancock like I can. Generally people who disagree with the way he does things end up in traction or worse. You left intact. I can’t get him to focus on business cause he’s suckin’ up all the Jet and worse…” she gestured at the door, “I think you got under his skin, Vaultie.”

“So what’s this about then?”

“He needs the Shroud, naturally, and needs to get back on track. See, he’s the show runner ‘round here, but there’s not a lot he can do personally; I’m sure you figured that out. It’d cause riots, chaos…he has to pretend that he’s on everyone’s side to keep the peace for the most part. This Silver Shroud thing you’ve been doin’ has been workin’ to his benefit…and to the benefit of Goodneighbor. He might have his flaws, but he’s got our people in mind. I think he regrets puttin’ you through that business few months ago and the guilt’s been fuckin’ him up inside.”

Chell wasn’t impressed with the explanation. “Yeah, seems real shook up over it now.”

“Just…start over with him, yeah? Maybe he’ll snap outta it. And good luck with….whatever that is in there…. _Christ_ …” Fahrenheit turned to return to her room, hands thrown in the air in defeat and disgust for her colleague.

Chell stayed by the door just a few moments longer and looked to Mac for a prompt. What was she supposed to do, just barge in there? Mac shrugged and stared at the door in equal uncertainty. She took a deep breath and knocked hard on the double doors. The activity behind the doors became much more hushed punctuated with high pitched giggling.

“Go away! The Mayor’s busy!” came the high pitched answer before dissolving into a flurry of giggles.

Chell felt that heat burn black. _The nerve of them; well he is expecting the Shroud, isn’t he?_ she reasoned. She nodded to Mac with an evil smile and flung the door open. The couple was on the same old couch she’d seen him on before, although drastically less decent. The blonde woman was riding him, straddled across his lap. The man himself was still mostly dressed with his shirt pulled open and pants to his ankles. They stopped abruptly, and the blonde on top clutched at him to cover herself. Hancock, however made no attempts and simply rested his hands on her lower back as he glowered at Chell who simply stared right back at him with determination not to let this scene blow her motivation.

“Well how’dya like that?” he said, his voice low and still dripping with carnal lust. “Hello General…or should I say the Silver Shroud?” that wolfish smile that made her insides twitch widened.

“Kent said you were lookin’ for me,” Chell said, voice pitched low

The woman on top grasped at her discarded clothing from the back of the couch and started to climb off of him. Chell averted her eyes and shot Mac a glance as Hancock pulled his garments up just loosely enough to be covered, 

“Hancock, do you have any more Med-X?” the woman interrupted. 

“Hey babe, why don’t you get dressed and head out…me and my friend hafta talk.”

“But you promised….”

“I know what I promised. You’ll get your fix, alright, but this don’t concern you. ” He never once took his eyes from Chell as he spoke.

The emaciated junkie shot daggers at Chell for ruining her night and her score but hastily collected the rest of her clothes and rushed out. Mac couldn’t help but stare at her as she left, raising his eyebrows at Chell before claiming the seat by the door. 

“Did I catch you at the wrong time?” she asked, smirking.

“Not the best timing, I’ll admit, but shit….you’re the Shroud, huh?,” his tone was light and uncaring as he shook out the flame of the match that lit his cigarette. “I kept hearing some freak dressed up in costume was runnin’ around my town and poppin’ off bad guys. To my surprise it wasn’t me this time.”

Chell took a seat on the couch opposite the Mayor, “I’m just doing Kent a favor. He’s a good kid and he’s got a dream. How could I not?”

“Doubt the kid’s got enough caps to afford you.” He snarked.

“This ain’t about money, Hancock.” She shot back defensively.

He grinned and leaned back. “Good. It’s nice to see you again, although…hangin’ out with MacCready? Tch.” he tutted sarcastically.

The merc in the back stood up at the sound of his name and sauntered over to the center of the room. “Hey she hired me, Hancock. Don’t drag me into whatever its is you have goin’ on.”

Chell wasn’t quite as amused. There was a reason why she was summoned, after all.

“Well, Mr. Mayor….here I am.” She was having difficulties meeting his coal black eyes. “What is it that you would have the Shroud do?”

“Right. So… all them gangsters you’ve been knockin’ off are part of a specific group of Raiders who work under a boss named SinJin. My scouts say you’re pissin’ him off six ways to Wednesday by killin’ all his best guys. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m a big fan of your work, but I don’t have a mind to have him in Goodneighbor. He’s got a hit out on ya, you know? Last I heard his best assassins took up the challenge and he’s been making threats about stormin’ the town and shooting everyone here in the street.”

Chell understood. A turf war with a well-established Raider gang never ended well for anyone. “How do I get to Sinjin then?”

Hancock chuckled lightly. “The trouble with that is you’ll never find him…not unless you go through Smilin’ Kate and Northy first. If you’re lookin’ to close the book on this adventure in your favor, I’d take care of them and then Sinjin will come out of hiding.”

“How do I know this isn’t just some more of your dirty laundry you want cleaned up?”

“I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t have some personal interest in this, but honestly it’s a win-win for us both. I want ‘em dead and you don’t wanna be dead so it’s a mutual benefit, right? I gotta say I’d’ve done this for whoever it was, but since it’s you…well, I’m a much bigger fan than I was 10 minutes ago.” he said as he stood to move to where she was seated and reached for her Pip Boy. He half expected her to recoil from his approach. Instead she eyed him with suspicious amusement and allowed him to manipulate the device still attached to her arm. 

“Northy is here…..and Kate is over here.” He marked on her map. She’d never been so close to him before; she wasn’t even paying attention to her PipBoy or the map he was marking. She stared at him and studied the lines and gouges in his face, wondering how it felt to the touch. His coat smelled of sandalwood and smoke that billowed out as he moved and she found herself dizzy as if intoxicated. He looked up from the PipBoy to find her staring at him. 

“Like what you see? I think it gives me that sexy ‘King of the Zombies’ look, dontcha think?” He grinned callously.

Mac groaned loudly from the corner, “UGH I’ll be outside…” and shuffled out quickly. She allowed a small laugh but quickly shushed herself. _What am I, 13? Jesus…_

“I can see she enjoyed herself quite a bit. A girlfriend?” Chell ventured.

“Who? Oh….” Chell could see the blood rush through and color his skin. “No, not exactly. I don’t do ‘girlfriends’. Not anymore, not in a long time.“ His words said that he was trying to play it cooler than he wanted to let on but his voice gave away much more. What should have come across as cocky and macho instead sounded sad and somewhat empty. 

“She was looking to score, and I wanted some fun so…is it alright if we drop this?” he asked. 

She nodded again, looking at the floor. She touched a nerve with him and made him vulnerable. “Sure, fine by me. So anyway, The Shroud has a job to take care of for the Mayor….I better get going if I’m going to save the day.” She replaced the fedora that completed the outfit back on her head and collected her own thoughts.

He smiled broadly at her. “Looking forward to the next broadcast, by the way. I’ve been listening to every one but now I’ll be listening more intently. Hey ….be safe, alright? Come back to me when you’re all done?”

_Come back to me._

She flashed a toothy grin from under the fedora, “I’ll see you again, Hancock. Stay outta trouble, alright?” 

 

*********

 

It was another week or so that she finally tracked Northy down by Wattz Electronics. By Chell’s count he had approximately 12 men armed with a few basic pipe pistols and rifles. She and Mac took up in the bushes and used the scope of the Gauss to get a better look at her odds. Northy seemed prepared for this fight but even she could see from here the tell-tale signs of a Jet addiction in the way he jittered and darted between the rooms of the crumbling building he was holed up in.

“So how should we start this, Mac?” She asked as she pulled a few frag grenades from her side pack. 

“Like you gotta even ask me, boss? Looks like you already have an idea.” He said with a smirk.

“How about I chuck this motherfucker on over, you do your thing and pop a few of their heads like pimples then Bob’s your uncle and we’re done!” she pointed along an embankment that would provide a fair enough of cover for him to take position, while she would take a more offensive position to bolster the Silver Shroud effect. 

Nodding once, Mac crept away to the spot she pointed out and waited for her sign. She inhaled sharply and adjusted the fedora on her head before gripping the pin with her teeth and lobbing the explosive as hard as she could into the group of Raiders. 

KA-BLAM!!!! The explosion rocked the walls of the decrepit apartment sending a few chunks of Raider flying through the air. Soon enough their screams echoed off the walls before Mac took his queue aimed his sniper rifle at a man positioned closest to Chell. The whole nests of them were now buzzing like Cazores and bullets flew in almost every direction hitting the dirt embankments. Chell strode smoothly through the husks of cars and broken cement barriers zig-zagging in-between her shots; another downed Raider here…another over there. The .44 punched large holes into their flesh as they fell like tin soldiers; at this range she didn’t need to aim very precisely just as long as they went down. Inside the blown out home she bounded the stairs two at a time until she finally reached Northy in the top left room in a corner, shaking like a irradiated leaf.

“P-ppllease, please…NO!” were Northy’s last words before his face exploded in pieces. He failed to even fire a single shot. She frowned and looked at her pistol dismissively. _Why’d they gotta beg like that?_

The cowardly ones always ended up haunting her, disrupting what little sleep she managed to get. This hardly mattered now though as she made quick count of the bodies before calling out to Mac that she was clear. 

“Woooo!” she heard faintly from Mac’s direction in the distance, her smile broadened.

The pair looted what they could from the corpses and checked themselves for their own injuries. After surveying the damage they inflicted she checked the interface on her PipBoy which cast shadows on the adjacent walls. According to the map Smiling Kate was about a day’s walk from their current position. 

Chell rubbed the back of her neck, dying to remove the thick coat and scarf. “Don’t know ‘bout you, Mac but I doubt we’ll get there before dark. You wanna just camp?”

“Suits me. I’d rather not travel at night anyway in case we run into Ferals.”

“Good point. These suckers had some provisions here so we might as well make use of them.” 

The pair wasted no time in dragging the bodies far from the site, as not to attract mongrels or stray Ferals who might be attracted to the smell of blood. The Raiders were as bad as teenagers in their taste in edibles though.

“Find anything good?” Chell asked with her head shoved in a lower cabinet.

“Nothin’ but Fancy Lads, ‘m afraid.” Came the response from the other room.

“Ugh. Alright…hey! I found some Salisbury Steak! Nice!” She popped up triumphantly.

They did their best at keeping a low profile; any fires they might light now would certainly attract too much attention. The pair sat on the used sleeping bags strewn about the room happily devouring what rations the former occupants stored. She tuned the Pipboy to Diamond City radio so softly it could barely be heard and finally started to relax.

“So I gotta ask.. why _are_ you doin’ this?” Mac asked in-between mouthfuls. “You don’t owe these people a god dam—darn thing. Kinda foolish, if you ask me.”

“I don’t really know, if you want the truth of it. When I crawled out of the Vault, all I wanted was Shaun back. I even told Preston off when I first met him….but then after a while, you know…I just..I adopted them. Now I know where Shaun is but I have no fuckin’ clue if I’m ever gonna get to him at all. Sometimes I feel like if I just do this one thing, or help this one person my karma will pay off. Its stupid, I know.” her head tilted back against the wall she sat up against and she stared at the ceiling, as if the ceiling would agree with her and encourage her. 

Mac shrugged. “I’ve learned that no matter what you do, people are gonna get hurt. Better make the best of it for yourself before anyone else.”

“I s’ppose you're right…still though. If I can just save one person besides myself…” she trailed. Her mind wandered off to the dark recesses of memory, the places she didn’t want to look. The Commonwealth wasn’t too different than the hell that was Anchorage.

“You alright, boss?”

“Hm? Yeah, I just….just was thinking about stuff.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I know how you feel about saving people. Hell, I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for Duncan.”

“I know, Mac. Don’t worry. We’ll save your boy.” She said. “We better get rested though. We have a date with Kate in the morning, providing she’s where Hancock said.” The mention of the ghoul’s name cause her voice to take a sharper edge.

He looked at her with a knowing glance. “I saw how you were around him….you got a thing for him, don’t you? That’s why you’re so nervous around ‘im.” 

“The fuck are you about, Mac?” she glared.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it. You wouldn’t be the first, though. Don’t get bent outta shape over it.”

“For your information, Robert, I don’t gotta thing for anyone. I just want to burn the Institute to the ground and get my kid back, alright?” She tried in vain to appear as if she was concentrating on something else, anything else, other than this conversation.

He threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, alright, forget I even said anything…but you know I’m right.” 

She glowered a little as she started to remove the heavy Shroud overcoat. She was more than irritated now; the heat, the lack of comfortable sleeping arrangements, and now this. “Goodnight, Mac.” She said gruffly. 

 

*****************

The following morning they reached Bunker Hill, forgoing the usual check in with Marion Kessler and her crew of caravan traders. They found Smiling Kate and her gang on one of the adjacent side roads near by. She hadn’t slept well and her mind was groggy from withdraw and her task at hand. She had difficulties catching her breath as waves of anxiety rocked her every few minutes. Mac had his rifle drawn and leaned up against the brick façade, arching his neck just slightly to get a good look at their grouping. Kate had her back to them with about 6 men standing in a loose semi-circle. She appeared to be giving them a stern reminder that The Shroud was coming and that anyone failing to kill him and left alive would be made example of. Chell stood near, eyes to the ground, iron grip on the handle of her .44. She waited for Kate to conclude her speech before stepping out of the shadow of the building.

“Smiling Kate!” she shouted, “You have been found guilty of murderous acts against the body of men and women. Your justice is nigh!” her voice rang out off the sides of the buildings amplified by their close proximity. A few of her men actually looked nervous, but Kate herself just spit on the ground. 

“You’re fuckin’ dead, Shroud!” the woman roared back and fired 3 shots in Chell’s direction.

_Thank the Maker pipe pistols are shit._ she thought as the Raider's shots missed and whizzed past.

Chell strafed right and fired her hand cannon at the group. Mac volleyed his own shot and used the wall as cover picking off 2 on his left. She connected with 3 others after a few back and forth rounds when she saw Kate began to back further down the alleyway. Chell followed in pursuit but soon one of Kate’s bullets caught her right hand, affecting her aim. She howled in pain and her blood made the grip slippery. 

“Ugh, fuck this!” She snarled, holstered the pistol, and unstrapped her rifle. She waited for a break in the gunfire before she stood quickly and shouldered her weapon. As soon as Kate peered out from her cover she released her charged shot. She wasn’t exactly satisfied with the accuracy she wanted at this distance, but the white hot metal buried itself deep and knocked her backwards. Chell turned just as Mac finished up the last surviving member of the group. 

“Hey boss, you alright? You’re…dripping…”

She pulled the hat from her head panting, and stood in the road for a moment. She had already forgotten about the wound she sustained. 

“Eh, just a flesh wound.” She said absentmindedly. 

Mac cocked an eyebrow and frowned. “Probably best to get you in the shade.”

The medical care at Bunker Hill was sufficient enough to stem the blood, but she lamented the difficulties she foresaw having due to the restricted movement. 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait for a sign from this Sinjin then,” she said, testing the range of movement. 

“I don’t know much about him to be of much help.” Mac conceded. “If Hancock’s right though…and he tends to be, it won’t be long until he hears about his goons.”

“We might as well stick around here until something turns up. I’ll keep the radio tuned…maybe Kent will key us in then.”

The message came 2 days later as Chell and MacCready sat down for a meal in the main chamber of the Bunker Hill Monument. The radio crackled and popped to life suddenly, causing her to nearly choke. She had expected Kent’s broadcast, but this was much more sinister. Chell’s face went white as Sinjin’s gravelly voice rasped out from her PipBoy:

_“If you can hear this Shroud, realize you’re in over your head. I’ve got your boy Kent now. You think you can waltz around and off my best guys without hurtin’ one of your own…you gotta ‘nother thing comin’. I’m gonna gut this kid first, then I’m coming for Goodneighbor. You were warned, but you didn’t listen, didja? Now you’re gonna learn.”_

The broadcast went dead, and Chell spit her food out, rushing to gather her items. She had to get to Goodneighbor and find out where Sinjin took him. 

“Fuck, Mac we gotta go.”

“Just ONCE I would like to finish my meal, maybe get a drink…you know, I’d kill for a drink. Come to think of it…I have!”

“Let’s GO!” She commanded impatiently and without another word the pair were packed and rushing down the main drag back to Goodneighbor. 

*****************

_That evening in Goodneighbor_

The sky was overcast and threatened rain; Goodneighbor smelled like petrichor. Chell threw the door open and rushed down the alley towards the Memory Den. As they approached Irma flew out the doors and grasped at Chell’s coat. 

“My god, you gotta help him! They took him!” 

“Hey, Irma…I need you to calm down. Do you know anything about where they may have taken him? Anything at all?”

“They mentioned taking him back to Milton….I think they meant the old Milton Hospital west of here….oh god I hope they don’t kill him.” Irma began to sob and Chell moved closer to hug her. 

“Don’t worry. I’m gonna get him back alive. I’ll cut through them all if I have to.”

The older woman buried her face into the scarf of Chell’s costume and sobbed. Chell wrapped her arms around Irma and stroked her hair, trying to reassure her as best as possible. 

“Mac, head over to KLE0’s,” she reached in her deep pockets and threw a sack full of caps his way, “we’re gonna need a lot of ammo. Get rations too, we’ll be on the road for a few days.”

He nodded and set off to carry his task. With all the commotion outside Hancock leaned over the balcony and observed. 

_That fuckin’ prick’s got Kent then…._ he said silently. He watched Chell hold Irma right there on the street and couldn’t help but be reminded of the way his father’s boat would listlessly bang up against the pier, but that mooring never failed. His ruined lips spread into a knowing smile. _Gotta love a girl who gets shit done. She can do this…_

There was a nagging thought though, one he didn’t want to give agency to. _What if she gets hurt? Worse?_ His quick glimpse of her revealed her dominant hand was bandaged and had bled through. Sinjin was a professional, top of the class scumbag; anything less than 100% carried a high risk of death. A few years ago when he had forcibly escorted his gang from Goodneighbor he lost good guns and good people during that fight. _And she has Mac with her? Good Gods…_ she’d win this on a hope and a prayer. He ground the butt of his cigarette out with his heel and turned back into the Statehouse with that sinking pit in his gut hoping he didn’t just send the General to her death with this venture. 

 

_At Milton General Hospital…_

Milton General Hospital was about 3 days journey from Goodneighbor. She was fairly familiar with the area before the War, but now it became a minefield of Raider pockets and Yao Guai. They stuck to the old railway far away from the disintegrating skyscrapers and city hubs which provided snipers of all shapes a welcome vantage point. The hospital wasn’t far now; maybe another 10 minutes away before Chell and Mac had decided to pitch their final camp before the showdown. Mac looked at her sideways noticing that she was unusually quiet. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

She seemed startled and let out a nervous chuckle. “Me? Oh, I’m fine…I just…I had this same feelin’ in my gut the last time I did something crazy. Of course Hancock was involved with that last time too. I wouldn’t be surprised if this place had screaming Deathclaws on chains before we get to Sinjin.”

“Don’t think that’s quite this Raider’s style.” Mac laughed dryly.

She hesitated before forming her next question. “Did he ever hire you?”

“Who? Hancock? Sure, I’ve done a few jobs, yeah. Nothin’ major though, mainly just to collect bounties or shake some people down who owed him…. but we don’t necessarily see eye to eye on some things so its rare, if anything.”

She sighed in exasperation “I don’t even know why I agreed to this. I got my own shit to deal with. Kent was one thing but this? Its gotten out of hand. How does he have that way with people? He just asked….and well…here we are. Everyone eats outta the palm of his hand, but why?”

“Might not seem like it now but Hancock really turned Goodneighbor around, you know. Believe it or not it used to be a lot worse from what I hear. I was still in Capital Wasteland before everything went down but I heard he kinda led some sort of revolt. The people there like ‘im; he’s fair, he’s _violent_ , and he knows how to have a good time. But honestly… and keep in mind the last time I offered my opinion you nearly threw me from the second floor of that apartment, but I still say deep down you’re into ‘im.”

She looked up at his smug face after his analysis and rolled her eyes. “Y’know, it’s been a long ass time since I’ve even thought of anyone _that_ way, much less _him_ , and I’m not even saying I am…” she stumbled through her thought process. “I was just content to, ah hell I dunno…be celibate after Nate was killed. I dunno if I’m ever gonna see Shaun again, either. Whatever this _thing_ with Hancock is…it shouldn’t be bothering me as much as it is.” 

“I’ve been living in this shi—crap world for a while now; you learn quick that life finds a way. You could be farming, then Raiders come and BAM! You’re dead! You could be Raiding and some farmer shoots you in the head and BAM! You’re dead! You could be a merc and BAM! – “

“Yeah…I get it.” 

He laughed. “But the thing is, people connect despite the hardships, sometimes they connect a little differently than they’d imagine. People just find each other out here.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Dr. Matchmaker but I’m pretty sure that the only thing I find out here is a massive amount of carnage. Speaking of which, we should start knockin’ some heads in, dontcha think?”

“You pay me to be ready, boss. Whenever you are.” He agreed, gripping his .50 cal rifle.

She checked her Pip; the time was 6:48 PM. Chell factored by the time they approached the Hospital it would be dark enough to scare the shit out of some burned out Raiders. It was a detail that had been deliberately planned and worked to her advantage. It was no secret that Sinjin’s men were a superstitious lot and easily intimidated by the justice-frenzied Silver Shroud. 

Eventually, it came time to move. The area surrounding the hospital was a hostile one. In the distance a pack of Super Mutants had holed up in the old Fallon Department store and Chell was not in the mood to shred her way through them first. The doors of the mega structure were rusted pretty good, but determined they were still pliable. As they pulled and pried it open a small detail of Sinjin’s men greeted them with open fire. _These are probably the low men on the totem pole_ , she thought and barreled through the entrance like a freight train squeezing off a bullet for each one. Chell motioned for Mac to clear the lobby bathrooms and break rooms while she checked the hallways and elevators for her enemies. Once she was convinced the floor was cleared they took the elevators up to the next floors up and continued to sweep each level. It took hours clearing each room and every hallway. Some of these people were young… barely adults, but damn if there weren’t a multitude of them. Sinjin spared no expense, or manpower trying to kill her. Raiders never were too bright. Fortunately, the costume also had some armoring to it and her injuries she was sustaining were minor at best. 

“Hey Mac, hold up.” She panted after a particularly heated exchange. The pair ducked into an old patient room where she began to rifle through her supplies.

“Sure boss, what’dya need?”

“Ah, you know…this killin’ Raiders thing is gettin’ a little boring. Time to shake things up.” she reached in her bag and pulled out a couple of syringes, one wrapped in medical tape and the other had two large reservoirs connected with wiring. The Med X blessedly took the sting off the various bruises and superficial gashes but it was the Psycho that kept things interesting. Her mind became a rocket of activity and she nodded to her companion that she was ready to head back out again. As they continued down the hallway they encountered a few more strays and engaged them. Somewhere in the back of her mind something wasn’t right though, but she shrugged it off as another wave of the Psycho pushed her adrenaline levels near peak. They came to another elevator and after checking the diagnostics through her PipBoy she knew this would take them to the basement. 

“I think this might be it, Mac. We’ve been all over this fuckin’ place and the bastard’s gotta be down there. If Kent’s still alive we can’t go in there guns blazin’. Heh, I know…I’ll fake him out with the Shroud thing….he wouldn’t expect levity while he’s holding a hostage. Of course, if Kent’s….well, Plan B will be business as usual, I guess.” She swallowed. 

“You point, I’ll shoot.”

Her diagnostics were correct; the elevator bottomed out at the last basement level of the hospital. That feeling she had grew stronger, but she had this planned out. What could the uncertainty be? She wasn’t nervous about Sinjin, or Kent…there was something else…The elevators door slid open and from all directions she could hear guns and automatic weapons primed and cocked and ready to fire. 

Sinjin rasped loudly, “Stop right there, Shroud. That’s far enough. One more step and Kent’s brains will paint the floor. 

She slowly exited the elevator and made mental note of their numbers; _4 downstairs, 2 up, and the clown in the middle._ Mac glared at Sinjin with his rifle trained dead on but held the shot as he was directed. Kent was kneeling in front of the older, heavier Ghoul bound and gagged but very much still alive.

Her eyes sparkled beneath the fedora. She inhaled sharply and pitched her voice low. “I am going to be the last face you will ever see…” she growled. 

“Heh, I seriously doubt that Shroud. You’re fuckin’ dead along with him and the rest of fuckin’ Goodneighbor, “the Ghoul called out as a cocky smile wrapped around his cracked and marred face.

Chell grinned; it was to be a showdown after all. Her hand hovered over the grip of the pistol and waited for Sinjin to move. Years after this event Mac would go on to say he was never quite sure who had moved first or fired the shot that sparked the firefight, but as fast as she could move her pistol was drawn, the trigger was squeezed, and the bullet smoked into the Ghoul’s skull before he even had a chance to execute Kent. Sinjin slumped over with a burnt hole in the middle of his eyes; the deed was done. His men who surrounded the room murmured in confusion and awe before tossing their weapons to the ground. She slowly approached the one that had been closest to her on the left side and smirked as he cowered on the ground before her.

“Are we going to have any more problems?” She glowered.  
“Nnnno..ma'am, no.. we’re good. We won’t try nothing…” he stammered, unable to look her in the face. 

She turned to walk to Kent, who was still tied. She motioned to Mac to release him as the room began to spin and she felt a little cold. She turned her back and popped a Buffout chasing it with a pull from her flask. 

“That was incredible! I can’t believe it! You saved me….like…like the real thing!” Kent stammered once he was freed from his restraints. 

“I-I think…we’re done with this for now, though. Kent..” she managed. “No offense, but the Shroud needs to retire...preferably on some tropical island.”

“You’re right. This enterprise was too dangerous.” The younger Ghoul admitted, face sinking. “I think I’ll just stick to listening to the radio for a while. I am so sorry I got you mixed up in all of this…I still can’t believe that shot! WOW!” Kent’s voice was a mixture of elation, adrenaline and terror.

Was the room really starting to spin? She shook her head to clear it but the gesture wasn’t lost on Mac. 

“Boss, you alright?”

“Yeah, never felt better.” She lied.

Mac wasn’t having it though. “Bullshi-shoot. C’mere let me see…” he grasped at her coat, catching a glimpse of a bright red stain that spread over the white tank top underneath. 

“You’re hurt.” He said softly.

“I’m fine, its nothin’. We gotta get Kent home, anyway. I’ll worry about this later.”

The elevator brought them to the ground floor and once outside Chell motioned for them to hold up for a moment to catch her breath. 

“You alright, Shroud..eh, I mean Chell?” Kent asked nervously.

“Doin’ fine, my man. Doin’ fine.” She winced. The Psycho was definitely starting to wear off.

Mac pulled out another syringe of Med-X out of the pack and shot her in the thigh. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he rushed to aid her but left none of the irritation out of his voice.

“I told you, its nothing much. I’ve had lots worse.”

He peeled the bloody shirt away and examined the wound. “I’m no doc Chell, but this is gonna need serious attention. You aren’t gonna make it if we don’t get you somewhere….we should go to Diamond City…” she held her hand up, cutting him off.

“We gotta get Kent back home. I promised Irma. I can make it.” She kept it short, her confidence was bolstered by the chems still coursing through her. 

He managed to help her field dress a few of the other wounds but lamented the lack of a Stimpak.

“How fast do you think we can get to Goodneighbor, anyway?” she wondered

“If we don’t stop, walk all night…maybe by tomorrow night..”

She weighed the options. “Here’s to tomorrow night then.” she smiled weakly and uncapped her flask again. 

“Maybe we’ll get lucky. Just…don’t worry boss, you got enough chems in your pack to last a long time. I think we can keep you pickled and preserved until we get there.”

 

***********

 

The journey was slow going and arduous. She knew that the longer it took, the lower her chances were on the table and insisted on forging on. Her side burned hotter than a red-hot poker and breathing became labored with each passing hour. By the time they made it back to the gates of Goodneighbor Chell was whiter than a sheet of paper. 

“Hey….we made it….” She whispered optimistically through blue lips. Her eyes rolled backward and she collapsed. 

“Ohhhh no, Chell stay with me….”Mac rushed to her, propping her up as Kent took up on her other side. 

Daisy was beginning to think it was a slow day from the counter of her discount store until she witnessed the gate fly open and the trio shambled in. Mac shouted to her in need of an extra pair of hands to rush her to the Memory Den and ultimately to Amari’s table. It wasn’t long until a small group of other drifters gathered as well to assist.

Up in the Statehouse, Hancock wasn’t sure if the noise he was hearing was part of the Jet rush in his malformed ears or if a mob had finally come to throw him out. The longer he listened though he managed to pick out a few key words but it wasn’t until he heard ‘Shroud’ and ‘dead’ then his black eyes flew open and he raced down the stairs to the courtyard. He burst out of the doors scanning the crowd before finally locating the center and he pushed his way through the crowd. 

_No no no no no no….._

He found her slung between Mac and Daisy streaked with blood and white as death. It wasn’t often that panic had been in his range of emotions but in this one instant, everything that he had done being Mayor, being a Ghoul, being Hancock meant nothing compared to the feeling that he may just have been responsible for the death of the biggest thing to happen to the Commonwealth since the bomb.

He stammered, staring at MacCready, “Is she…?” He couldn’t even say the last part of his sentence; his vision tunneled on her nearly lifeless face. How could this have happened? How could he have fucked up this much? He took Chell’s arm where Daisy had been holding it up and heaved forward. 

The Memory Den was now her only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all get bonus points if you read the title of this chapter in Mighty Mouse's voice
> 
>  
> 
> ....extra EXTRA bonus points if you imagined Andy Kaufman bouncing along to it.


	5. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know you....getting to know all about yoooooooouuuu

_May 3rd, 2077_

Bullets whizzed by from all angles, hitting bloody mud which splashed into her face.

_This is it…_

She gripped her Army issued AR-15 and shut her eyes. Every ounce of her was trying to move, but her body would just not respond.

_I’ll never see Nate again…._

She looked upwards at the sky full of fire. There were people everywhere; crying, screaming, bleeding, dying. Chinese soldiers were clutching American soldiers in a final, deadly embrace. Mortars were exploding on all sides.

_If I don’t get up, I’ll die_

_If you do get up, you’ll die._

Her entire body fought her tooth and nail as she finally convinced herself to stand; she turned to face the enemy line, rifle drawn. Instead a hideous white light burned her eyes to the core as she stared in terror. The sickening cloud punctured the sky forcing the chemical fire that burned within its clouds to form a perfect circle of night sky around it. Soon enough the shockwave would consume every ounce of her being but even in this final moment all around her the bodies of the fallen dead started to rise from the ankle deep mud and turned to face her. She dropped her rifle to stifle the scream that erupted from her as the skin from their faces melted away then turning to chunks of muscle and fat that sloughed off in progression. To her horror their bones crumbled and turned to dust in the radioactive gales, and just before the inferno came for her, in the crux of the shockwave, in the flames and chaos, she saw a figure of a man; the man with black eyes.  
The last words she heard before she was reduced to ashes were: “Hello Sunshine.”

 

Chell woke from the nightmare gasping and panicking. She could hear Shaun whimpering in the next room awake for the 4th time this night. Blinking hard, she gripped the sweat-dampened sheets of the bed and reached out to Nate’s heavy body snoring soundly beside her. 

_I’m home. It was all a dream._

“Alright…alright…mommy’s coming.” She grumbled as she staggered out of bed. She knew she was home; no more war, no more Institute, no more fighting. Goodneighbor seemed a million miles away. She chuckled to herself knowing it wasn’t real -the Vault, the bomb…none of it. The sweetest of music could not compare to how wonderful it was to hear Shaun crying in the next room. She turned her head to look at Nate sleeping beside her and a half smile spread across her lips. She shook her head.

_How come Nate never gets up?_

Shambling into Shaun’s room, she noticed that Codsworth was surprisingly absent. She leaned back, checking down the hall but she could not hear his familiar whirring or humming. Shaun’s cries became more frantic and she redirected her attention back to the baby’s room peering into his crib.

_NO NO NO NO NO_

Her screams were silent. Whatever was in that crib was not her son. Instead what laid there was a skeletal fetus with bones and organs of metal and tubing and billowing plastic membranes screaming at the top of the speaker in its throat. Its crying turned more distorted and digitalized until it was nothing more than pips and tonal frequencies.  
At last her scream became audible; the volume of it so incredible every window in the room shattered. 

_The Third Rail…_

The silence was deafening, especially in the Third Rail. When normally there would be music and conversation there had been nothing but muffled coughs and murmurs in the hours since they shuffled Chell’s near lifeless body through the doors of the Memory Den. Everything in between their arrival and this moment in time seemed like it had gone in slow motion. MacCready slouched in the corner nursing the biggest glass of Scotch he could imagine and rubbed his temples. He could barely even remember the order of events; both he and Hancock had carried Chell into the Memory Den while Irma babbled in the corner, Amari shouting at them that she wasn’t a qualified surgeon but they begged her anyway. His worry was so great that he even broke down in tears when no one was looking. It seemed all of Goodneighbor was waiting for news. Hancock leaned against the wall near the stairs with a death grip on a bottle of Vodka that was nearly empty. The atmosphere was thick hovering between nauseous desperation and wild uncertainty. Most of the patrons were heavily intoxicated in an attempt to stave off the anxiety. 

The Mayor eyed MacCready wearily from the corner, wondering just what happened at Milton. 

“You know, I gotta say I’m real fuckin’ disappointed in you Mac.” he rumbled breaking the silence. “You were supposed to have her back and she comes back here almost fuckin’ dead. I got some people placin’ you in the company of Gunner trash just before you met her…care to explain what happened? Invite any of your buddies to come play along? I bet there’s plenty of ‘em who’d love to see her dead…”

Mac looked up from the corner in disbelief. _Is he really tryin’ to pick this fight?_ He stood from his seat and walked with leaden feet right up into the Ghoul’s face. 

“I was there. I killed more of Sinjin’s men than anyone else in this room….no one else here can say that. Can you, Hancock? Maybe if someone didn’t send us to do their dirty work she’d be alright.” he accused. 

Hancock gripped the younger man by the lapels and snarled, “Fuck you, Mac. He would have been after her anyway…some mercenary you are.” His words slurred and he pushed him away. Mac stumbled back a few steps and balled his fists up ready to throw the first punch.

“Boys, please.” Daisy interjected, separating them. “This ain’t the way to be. Its no one’s fault but her own that she took this on and we should just be glad that Kent’s safe, Sinjin is dead and she’s not.”

Mac straightened his coat and curled his lip in disgust. “Why do you even care, anyway? Are you her permanent employer or is she just another cog in your big wheel? You know, when I was Mayor in Lamplight I took care of my own business. Maybe it’s about time you got your own hands dirty for a change.” Mac shot back as he turned and started to walk away up the stairs to check Amari’s progress. Hancock was so furious he had no words.

_Hes gotta point, Johnny boy. Gettin’ too comfy here._

The Mayor slunk back to a corner to polish off the rest of his liquor and to stew in his own heated anguish. 

_From here on out, if a job needs doin’ then its gonna be me that gets it done.  
I hope she’s alright._

 

Chell’s eyes flew open under the bright lights in the basement of the Memory Den. She was disoriented and confused under the influence of heavy medication. Her fingers grasped at the tubes and needles that were connected in her arms not caring what she was ripping out. She wasn’t even sure how she’d made it back to Goodneighbor at all. Amari moved quickly and attempted to subdue her patient. 

“Don’t move, I just finished the stitches but I won’t be confident they’ll stay until the Stimpack starts repairing the muscle. It’s a miracle you’re even alive.” Amari warned.

“How did I get back? Where’s Shaun?!” she yelled breathlessly; the room spun as she lost focus.

“Hancock and Mac dragged you in. You flatlined when they brought you here.”

Things started to make a little sense. “I…died?” 

“I wouldn’t really say that. Your heart stopped but there was plenty of neural activity. It seems you fought like hell to stay here.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “Amari, I was home. I was in bed,” her chest heaved struggling to fight back the uncontrollable sobs that threatened to loosen themselves from their cage.

The doctor looked on sympathetically touching her shoulder lightly. “I’m very sorry, Agent.”

Chell banged her head against the steel operating table in frustration and angrily wiped away the errant tears that managed to escape.

“I understand you’ve been through a lot Agent Fixer, however, now that you are awake I have some questions I would like to ask you once you’re feeling up to it.”

The wounded General nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “Fine.” Her throat was hoarse.

“Can you tell me about how long has it been since you left the Vault?”

Chell scanned the room trying to remember the passage of time “Um…it’ll be 2 years in October I think, not very long really.”

“I see. Have you been using RadAway and Rad-X every day?”

“Occasionally….though lately I guess not as much.” 

She knew the answer was ‘no’. Lately Rads had taken on a strange sensation lately that was not altogether unpleasant; somewhat like licking a battery. This, coupled with feeling a little more energized during Radstorms. She could always tell when one was coming by the tingle in her lips.

“Hm. There is no cause for alarm but I did want to make you aware your blood samples were tested for pathogens and they came back…irregular.”

“What do you mean ‘irregular’?” 

“It’s inconclusive still but its most likely due to the natural radiation in the environment. You weren’t born with any immunity to this kind of concentration and neither was your mother during pregnancy. I will work with Doctor Carrington to run more tests but I wanted to discuss. If left unattended or untreated there may be complications later on.”

“Anything serious?” Chell attempted to sit more upright but was deterred by the tremendous amount of pain that seared her abdomen.

The doctor became tightlipped and didn’t look away from the clip board. “There’s the potential, yes. We need more tests like I’ve said; there’s too little data to go by at the moment. Make sure you take no more than 2 Rad-X every day and ensure if you are around high concentrations of radiation you take proper precautions to protect yourself from it, especially if you still intend on travelling to the Glowing Sea.”

Chell nodded. “Alright, I’ll try. What do you think it could be? Its not cancer, is it?”

Amari glazed over for a moment. “I’ve heard of cancer before, but it’s a rarity in the Commonwealth anymore. Most people born are already exposed to so much radiation we’ve developed a natural immunity to cancerous mutations. You, however, don’t possess such genes so its possible. There’s also the possibility of acute Ghoulification, similar to what Mayor Hancock went through.”

“Woah, wait…”

The Doctor cut her off. “Its too early to tell, Agent, so don’t jump to conclusions. I want you to keep your mind open. In any case we have treatments. Please don’t concern yourself too much.”

Chell blinked slowly. “Where’s Mac?”

“I believe they are all at the Third Rail awaiting news of you. Should I send for him?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

Amari smiled slightly and patted her hand before leaving. In those moments alone Chell found she could no longer hold back the despair that poured from her heart. She gritted her  
teeth as her body heaved. 

_This can’t possibly be happening, not now._

Almost too quickly, a knock came from the doorframe causing her to hastily wipe her tears. Mac stood in the doorway looking apprehensive and worried.

“Hey Boss…glad to see you’re still with us.” 

“Hey Mac.” She sniffled. “I know it’s not your style but thanks for saving me.” 

“Eh, I couldn’t just leave you to die out there you know. If I did I would most likely be murdered by Hancock. Hell, he practically almost did just a few minutes ago.”

Chell laughed a little, “Really? Why? You’re the one who got me here.”

Mac chuckled softly, “Heh, yeah well my previous work with the Gunners made me a little less than reputable. He thought they hired me to shoot you.”

“Well that’s just a crock of shit.”

“Tell me ‘bout it. I guess I can’t fault him too much though…we’re all pretty drunk and miserable down there. He was a mess though. We all were.”

“Its gonna take a lot more than a scumbag Raider to kill me, Mac.” She smiled.

“You know, you are kinda amazing. Never seen anyone quickdraw like that before in my life, not even in the Capital Wasteland. “

“Well thanks, Mac. I was in the army before the meat locker, its comes in handy every now and then. “

Chell tried to sit up again and gingerly slid off the table in an attempt to gauge her pain level. She found that it was near tolerable thanks to the miracles of several spent Stimpaks. Her footing was a little shaky, but she was able to stand.

She looked at her partner, unable to shake her sadness. “Mac, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah sure boss, anything.”

“Would you…Could I ask you to head to the Castle with the Minutemen for a little? I think I need some time to myself for a bit, clear my head..ya know? I’ll be there in a few days of course but I need to be alone, I think.”

Mac felt like someone dumped a bucket of cold water on him. “Oh. Well, yeah sure. I guess I could. Are you sure about that though? It’s dangerous to go alone out there. What if you get ambushed?”

 

“I’ll be alright, I’m gonna take it easy and see if I can scrap and earn some more caps for supplies. I’ll meet you there in a week or two, ok?”

“Alright but at least let me buy you a drink first. You’re a fu-frickin’ hero, you know.” 

“Alright, Mac. I’ll take that offer up, so long as you’re buyin’.” She smiled. 

He held her lightly by the arm as they slowly made their way up the staircase. The few members of the Watch that were still present held their usual snarky remarks and instead offered heaps of praise as they exited the Memory Den; the streets of Goodneighbor were unusually quiet for this time of night. Mac explained that everyone was holed up at The Third Rail waiting to hear if she had pulled through. Once inside, Ham tipped his hat to her before the descended into the former railway. A loud and raucous cheer came from the mob as they soon realized that not only did she live, but she was among them to celebrate her near departure from the coil. Chell was surprised at the attendance there; it seemed that everyone was there in support. A few of the patrons moved in deference to her arrival clearing coveted seats in her wake and helped ease her onto the black leather couch in front of the stage. Several drifters had offered to bring her whatever libations she wanted but it was Mac that came through with a bottle of the best bourbon Charlie had in the back. Guests from all around came to thank her for what she did for Kent and for looking out for Goodneighbor like she had. As the night wore on, Mac relayed the story of the battle at Milton complete with sound effects and expressive hand gestures with just the right type of embellishment and Chell laughed loudly when he recounted the final showdown with Sinjin. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a man in the background leaning up against the wall nearest the stairs. The red coat was a dead giveaway. She excused herself and gingerly limped over to him.

“Heh, still in one piece?” He asked jokingly.

“For now; don’t sound so disappointed,” she teased.

He uncrossed his arms and extended it to her. “You know, I owe you. No one else would’ve stuck their necks out as far as you have. I don’t know why you do it and you should hate me for what I’ve put you through, but I wanted to say thanks.”

She took his arm and gripped it as firmly as she could before moving to his side against the wall.

“Hancock, you and I may be more alike than you realize. I know you used me, but the right intentions were there. I don’t hate you. In fact, I’d be happy to count you among my allies. We all need all the help we can get, right? I’m gonna be headin’ back to the Castle in a few days…you and Fahrenheit should come on a…I dunno..a diplomacy trip or somethin’. We can set up a supply line and offer defense. 

He looked into her blue eyes. “It’s a possibility that may someday come to pass. Are you staying in Goodneighbor long or are you heading out right away?”

“Why? You got another job for me?” She laughed. “Nah, I’ll be here for a few more days recovering but after that I have plans that I need to see through.”

He nodded. “Yeah I think I remember you sayin’ somethin’ ‘bout it.” He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. He wanted to ask her more and almost felt compelled to go with her but ultimately decided against it figuring she had a lot on her plate already. She didn’t need him to tag along.

She sensed his thought process was turning over in his head. She was afraid of the awkward silence that threatened to muscle its way in between them.

“Why don’t you buy me a drink? Seal the deal on the alliance.” She gestured with a grin to the empty bottle in her hands. He smiled and motioned back towards the couch she had been seated at previously. In a few moments he brought back another full bottle of vodka. After kicking back a few shots Chell felt that familiar numbness in her face and the flushed feeling that she craved so often. Hancock kicked his feet up on the low table in front of them and reached inside his jacket for his Mentats. With a waggle of his brow, he shook the tin in her direction in offering and she bit her lip in anticipation. 

“Don’t mind if I do…although, if you’d do the honors...”she teased and stuck her tongue out wide and flat, waiting to accept the Mentat.

Hancock pitched his voice low trying to hide his amusement, “Now now, what did Ham tell you about getting’ in trouble?” He bit his ruined lip, grinning ear to ear. He slowly placed the tab on her tongue. In his head for a moment he imagined himself putting something else in her eager little mouth. Under heavy lids he noticed the look she gave him was heated. 

“Don’t worry… I’m a good girl, I promise. I do my best to stay out of it.” She purred, face flushed with the lack of inhibition. 

“Keep this up, and I’ll call you a liar. Although, I guess I can let management know whatever you do I think I’ll be able to forgive you.”

“Well then, I don’t wanna piss off management. I promise I will be on my most best behavior.” She brought her drink to her lips but never once took her eyes off him.

Hancock became increasingly aware of how hot the bar had gotten suddenly. He had to slow down and change the subject or else he might really get in trouble.

“So General, I know you’re from a Vault, I know that you’re after the Institute…but what exactly brought you to my little shit hole in the first place? You busted in here with Nick Valentine of all people and before long you’ve got everyone in my town singin’ your praises….especially Mags over there.” He winked. 

Chell beamed at the memories of her and Magnolia a few months ago. “Ya heard about that, huh? She’s a real peach, you know. Well, I suppose…you haven’t actually tried to kill me yet so I guess I can trust you enough to let you in on it…” she looked carefully for any eavesdroppers before bending her head towards him. Her slender fingers reached for his jacket and pulled him in a little closer. His heart skipped a beat.

“I happened to recover some Institute tech from one of their patsies, a guy formerly named Conrad Kellogg. Nick and I made quick work of ‘im and Amari helped us crack into it. Thanks to her we know how the Institute moves around.”

Hancock pulled away wide eyed. “Shit sister, that’s heavy stuff. Where does that leave you now?”

She pulled a cigarette from the front pocket of her button-down shirt. Her gaze turned downward. “The Glowing Sea. A Courser told Kellogg that there was an ex scientist who lived out that way. He was Kellogg’s next target before I painted Fort Hagan with the useless part of his brain.”

His smile slightly but turned serious. “Ain’t no one who lives there, General. You’d have to be crazy or real tough to even think about goin’ there.”

“It’s the only lead I got. This ex-scientist might have an answer on how to use the data we have to get into the Institute. They…they took my son, you see. He’s a little…older than I had expected, but they have him for sure. He’s alive and I’m gonna burn that motherfucker to the ground to get him back.”

“I like your style,” he said in between drags of his cigarette. “Sorry to hear about your boy though…I’m sure you an’ the rest of yer family are desperate to get ‘im back.”

“No family, there’s no one. I…I had one, but they shot my husband when they stole Shaun. Its just me now.” Chell downed her drink fast and lowered her eyes. “I’m sure you can appreciate my animosity. I heard you’re not a big fan either.”

“Not particularly, no. But then again…who is? Certainly not the Brotherhood, I’m guessin’. Must be why they parked that ugly ass airship outside the ol’ airport.”

She raised her eyebrows slightly at the mention of the Brotherhood of Steel. “Yeah so they say. I’m surprised they weren’t as resourceful as they say they are and found them first. When I was in the Army at Anchorage….we found ways of making people talk.”

“I might be drunk but did you say Anchorage? As in “The Great War” Anchorage?” his puzzled look made her realize that he may not have been given that detail from his spies.

“Yeah, I was there. I told you before I came from a Vault, remember?” she tapped her PipBoy. “Even Hancock’s great army of spies couldn’t find that out for you?”

“Yeah, well there’s a bunch of them ol’ Vaults around. I may have….missed that detail.”

“It doesn’t matter now though. Ours was designed for Cryostasis, though we didn’t know it at the time. I’m a meat popsicle with a freshness date from 2077.”

He stared at her in awe before realizing he looked like a gawking teenager. “You’re PreWar?”

“About as PreWar as you can get. I saw what created the Sea.”

“Shit. Y’know Daisy used to tell me stories when I was younger but she was always hazy on the details. Guess that goes along survivin’ that long after but you…its gotta seem like it was recent, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She trailed off distantly. 

“So after you left the Vault, then what?”

“Well…you can imagine it took some time gettin’ used to everything. I pretty much stuck around my old house, just wanderin’ around. A few months later I met Preston and the Minutemen…well, Minuteman. Couldn’t make that plural until he asked me to join. Poor guy. I like him, but he wasn’t a fan of my recreational activities.” She punctuated the story with an obligatory puff of Jet that she fished from her own bag before handing him one of his own.

Hancock was now infinitely more interested, “I’ve heard about him, can’t say I’ve met him face to face. I thought they were all but done after the mess in Quincy.”

“He and a group were pinned down in Concord. I was scavenging and heard them fighting some fuckin’ Raiders in the Museum. Thought I’d help them out and just started shooting everyone outside.”

“Not many would stick their necks out like that.” 

“I ‘spose not. I had been on my own for long enough, me and my bot. I figured it was time to shit or get off the pot.”

“So you singlehandedly saved the Minutemen, huh?” he sat back in almost disbelief.  
_Jesus she’s a dream come true if all of this is real._

“They were desperate. And so was I…I was pretty fuckin’ lost until I met actual people.” She shrugged. Chell was officially hammered but reached in her jacket pocket for a canister of Jet.

“So, you got a ride of choice?” he noted as he watched her empty the canister into her lungs. “I’m more a Mentats Ghoul myself…makes me feel intellectual.” He noted. _The girl likes her chems. Good. She and I will get along just fine._

“Yeah I like Jet when I drink. I like ‘em all really, its what I’m good at. I took Chemistry at CIT on the Psycho project as my major thesis before I got recruited by the Army. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for getting high so I end up using it when no one is around. You don’t mind, do you Hancock?” She stretched her arm along the back of the couch and leaned closer to him. 

Hancock’s devilish smile spread across his gnarled skin as leaned in closer to her as well; his mind still fuzzy from his own intoxication. “Me? Mind chems? When I have such pleasant company finally? By all means, doll. You do you. As long as you ain’t hurtin’ no one why would I wanna interfere?”

“Did you know that the word ‘Mentat’ was invented by a man who wrote science fiction about people who had evolved their minds to function like human computers. They were called Mentats…” She explained as she pulled a beat-up tin from her pocket. “I loved that book.” She sighed nostalgically.

“Tell me more.” He smiled more warmly than he realized causing her to blush again. 

The two talked long into the evening sharing exotic blends of chems between them. Chell hadn’t laughed so much in her new life, but tonight was a godsend. She talked about all her favorite books before the bomb; authors that her Grandmother had introduced her to like Alan Moore, Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Palahniuk. Hancock countered with his own tale about how when he was a kid he would try to bring back as many books for Daisy as he could and she gave him his first comic book when he was a kid. They discussed comics and pop culture at length and the reason why it was so important to Chell to do what she did for Kent.

“People need heroes. They need something to manifest their hopes and aspirations. Otherwise what would be the point of continuing the human race?” she opined. “Ever since the dawn of written verse there have always been stories of heroes…from Perseus and Beowulf to Gronak and the Silver Shroud. Everyone needs a way to escape from reality.”

Hancock raised his drink high and enthusiastically, spilling some onto the couch and floor. Chell fell over in a fit of laughter. Outwardly he seemed drunken and intoxicated, but inwardly he had never felt more focused. He could finally relax around someone who didn’t just want something from him, but rather just someone who enjoyed his company. He realized that no one in Goodneighbor came by just to visit him. Sure, they’d come to use up all his chems and booze and a quick lay before leaving him again high and alone. Chell was just happy to have someone to talk to that wasn’t involved in all her horseshit.Hancock genuinely seemed about her life before wartime (which she explained was the title to a fantastic album back in her day).

After some time and the night wound down, the Mayor stared at the empty bottle of vodka he dismally tried to balance on his knee. 

“So what’s yer brilliant plan after you get ta the Glowing Sea?” he slurred. Even in his incredibly intoxicated state he knew that anyone had to be insane to go there by themselves. Not unless they had a death wish anyway.

The room spun wildly making the source of the question difficult to focus on. “I’ve no clue. I’m still workin’ on that detail. I figure I’ll meet up at the Castle and hatch some somethin’. Ronnie’s usually got good ideas.” She paused and gave him a side eye. “I can use all the help I can get.” 

Why don’t I just go with her? He thought. He tried to open his mouth but in an instant he found he had no voice. What the hell? When do I ever hold back?  
Realizing he wasn’t going to take the bait, she sighed and grabbed at the last remaining drops of liquor from her bottle. She almost hadn’t noticed a woman was strutting over, focused on the Mayor. A brief jolt of sobriety shook the fog loose and Chell recognized the blonde she’d seen perched naked on Hancock’s lap the last time they spent any meaningful time together. She rolled her eyes as the minx sauntered over, pouring herself on the couch they shared on Hancock’s side and sliding her hands down his thighs. 

“Hey, Mayor Hancock…I was wonderin’ if I could ask you somethin’” the woman butted in.

Chell took a long swig from her glass feeling the burn as the liquid drained down her throat.

“Hmm? Oh, right….Rachel right?” he answered distractedly. 

“No…its Tracy.”

“Oh, sorry. Yeah what can I do for you?”

“Well, a friend of mine’s been promisin’ to hook me up with some Jet but he ain’t showed yet. I was hopin’ that we could help each other out….like old times.” The words grated against Chell’s nerve like sandpaper on sheet metal. The feeling came unbidden and deeply disturbed her. _I swear to God I’m not really feeling this way, am I?_ The woman played with the ruffles at his collar and Hancock looked back at Chell with worry. The General found she couldn’t look at them and stared straight ahead. 

“Uh, hey look…I’m not really…I’m kinda busy now, doll.”

Chell cleared her throat and pretended to check the time on her Pipboy before starting to stand, albeit less gracefully than she wanted. Hancock’s attention was squarely fixed on  
her as the interloper continued to press her luck. He felt his frustration grow as the one person in the whole bar he wanted to be around was leaving and another junkie was coming to leech of him some more. 

Feeling injured in more than one way she barely managed to look him in the eyes. “Goodnight Hancock.”

When Chell got to the bar she tossed her caps onto bar top and finished the remaining liquor fast. “’Night Charlie.” She managed to blurt out before hustled out of there as fast as she could.

Hancock started to get up but the woman held onto the sleeve of his velvet coat, “Hey, where you goin’? Doesn’t look like you’re busy anymore, Mayor. C’mon, we could just jump upstairs..”

Hancock gripped her by the wrist and curled his lip, exposing the sharp canines, “Listen, get yer hands off me and go bother someone else. I ain’t got no Jet for you or your friend so hit up Marowski if you’re so hard up. We’re done here.”

The woman pulled her arm back and sneered. “Jesus, Hancock, fine.” The skinny girl leered at Chell who was slowly ascending the stairs. “I don’t know what you see in that fuckin bitch anyway.”

Hancock leaned in real close, “No one says shit about my friends, you dig? Open your mouth again, and I’ll cut that dedicated little tongue out of your mouth and feed it the mongrels out front.”

He stood and straightened himself scowling before clearing the distance to the bar. He threw a few caps down for Charlie then bolted up the stairs.

_What must she think of me?_

In what seemed like hours Chell made it back to her room at the Rexford a little more than green. She paced the room; not wanting to admit anything. Hancock was the Mayor and she was the General and they both had stuff to do. There was nothing more to it than that.  
_I don’t have time for this.  
Why should I even be jealous?_

Hell, they were barely acquaintances. She sat on the edge of the bed, lightly touching the still healing wound in her abdomen. She resolved that she wouldn’t delay any further in leaving here and in the morning she was out of here. She had to brief the Minutemen anyway with what she found and she needed more caps to fund the cause. As she flopped onto the dirty mattress the last thought that ran through her head before passing out was that the rumors of Goodneighbor were true, and that this place truly was nothing but trouble.


	6. Can You Dig It?

_At the Rexford, the next day…._

The morning was like nearly any other in the Commonwealth. The air stunk in the summer heat and humidity; someone outside kicked a metal bucket and it clanged loudly on the street. Chell had been awake already, laying on the mattress in her tank top and panties. She felt restless, like something wasn’t finished. 

_Yeah, no shit. You’re son is still out there. Let’s focus here._

But it wasn’t that either. 

_How much did you drink last night? What did you do?_

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped her thick rimmed glasses on her face. As she rubbed her cheek her fingers traced over the large burn that had scarred her face since the Vault. She remembered when it happened; when they came for Shaun, they suspended the cryogenic process in her own pod. She watched as Kellogg put a bullet in Nate’s face and in her rage she threw herself against the sub-zero metal inside. Her cheek had brushed up against the surface of a pipe and melted it to the surface. She never even registered the physical pain and before she knew it she was heading back to the deep sleep. Chell shuddered with the memory and her eyes darted towards her goodie bag of mind altering substances. She plucked out a vial of Med-X and balled up on the mattress for better access to her feet. A million times she had done this, yet it always made her feel nervous as she shoved the needle between her toes and pushed the plunger. Not long after she felt a dull thrumming behind her eyes and she relaxed as the memories of her dead husband faded back into the depths of mind. She pulled her wrinkled jeans on and threw on Kellogg’s leather jacket, minding her still aching side. 

She pulled her cap sack out and counted what she had earned in the past few months. 

“Shit…”

The Castle was running low on ceramic and concrete….and while concrete might be easy enough to pick up, the ceramic was a different story. She was still about 300 some caps shy of a shipment. 

Her face scrunched up in frustration and she grabbed her hairbrush violently, pulling the long blonde locks back into their normal bun at the nape of her neck. 

_Maybe one more job. Someone around here probably needs something…_

Hiding her more valuable possessions, she strapped the .44 to her thigh and headed out. Claire at the desk was attempting to evict Fred Allen from the desk as she put 10 more caps on the counter for just one more night in Goodneighbor. Near the door she couldn’t help but overhear a few Ghouls whispering in the corner.

“No way Bobbi could pull that off. I heard she already lost 2 men already because of the ‘lurks and no one is gonna be stupid enough to help her.”

“Yeah, but the payoff is huge! I mean, the Diamond City stockroom!”

She stopped and cocked her head….”Excuse me, what’s this I hear about a stockroom?”

The two men greeted her cordially enough, one spoke, “Bobbi No Nose is looking for some help. Heard it’s big though. Why? You interested?”

“Eh, I might be. Im only in town for another day or so, I could check it out.”

“With you helpin her, she wont need no one else.” The quiet one laughed.

“Where’s Bobbi at?”

“Go past the Statehouse, make a left and another left. Her place is at the end of the alley, cant miss it.”

She thanked the men and started off. When she came to the end of the alley as the men directed she was met with a large steel door with a slot. She knocked and a raspy voice on the other side demanded to be left alone.

“I’m here looking for Bobbi. Heard there was some work that needed to be done.”

The slot opened and Chell could see a pair of eyes that belonged to a natural Ghoul. 

“That’s right. Good honest pay for good honest work.”

The door swung open and there stood a woman, a Ghoul, about 5 foot in height with her hair in a bob wearing a vest and black slacks. 

“There we go! Oh but its you! I would never have guessed that you would be interested in my little enterprise.” Bobbi rasped.

“Well that depends. I heard there was some work to be done, a few Mirelurks that were givin’ you trouble and I think I can help out with that.”

“It’s a little more than just that. Come, let me show you.” The Ghoul gestured. Chell followed her down several staircases and through the basement which opened up to the left. A good chunk of the wall was blown open and a tunnel led further down to the lower catacombs. From here she could see evidence of construction and the equipment left behind in a hurry. 

“So what happened here, Bobbi?”

The Ghoul sighed, “Its just too hard to find good work these days. Are you familiar with Mayor McDonough in Diamond City?”

Chell shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “Yeah, kinda.”

“Well, he caused a lot of trouble for me and for the town here. I had planned on getting what’s mine back from him. See, he confiscated some of my guy’s best weapons in his Storeroom just under his office. We were gonna get them back but I didn’t really want to start an all out war over it, ya know? So we were gonna dig a tunnel through to it and relieve him of some of my possessions. The guys I had workin on it all got bugged out by the Mirelurks. I ain’t gonna lie there’s a whole mess of them down there. But then my main guy, Mel got pinched by Diamond City Security so now he’s locked up.”

“Sounds like a headache…”

“You’re tellin me! So now I gotta get Mel out and I still need someone to help get rid of these overgrown pubic lice. If you’re interested, I’ll make it worth your while.”

“How much we talkin’? We’re breakin’ into a warehouse in Diamond City, that’s an awful big risk…”

“Hows 150 caps?”

Chell snorted slightly, “Ah come on I think you could do better than that…I’m effective if anything else. What else could you offer?”

“Would 2 be alright?”

“How about 5?” 

The older woman choked a little. “Alright, 500 but you gotta get Mel outta lockup. Meet me in Diamond City in 24 hours. Look for me by the Power Noodles.”

“Deal. See you then.”

Chell shook Bobbi’s hand and left feeling slightly scandalous that she had just agreed to rob from the douchebag Mayor of Diamond City. Its not that he didn’t deserve it though. She met him briefly on her first time to the Green Monster that was the former Fenway Park. She had just met Piper Wright, a journalist who had seemingly been locked out of the field. McDonough had been part of the welcome party that congregated outside the field after they tricked Danny Sullivan into opening the gate. Chell couldn’t get a read on him though…like he wasn’t organic. Piper said that he was really a Synth planted by the Institute but then again everyone was paranoid that someone was a Synth. Maybe he was? Maybe he had been a reformed Synth like H2 or the others Old Man Stockton we’re trying to smuggle out. Public sentiment against Synths was strong though; Piper had filled her in on the Broken Mask tragedy from a few years back which fueled the Anti-Synth movement the Railroad was trying to fight. The Institute was suspected of replacing people with their own creations and damn if there weren’t a finer specimen than McDonough. Chell decided that if she was gonna meet Bobbi in a day, she’d better get a move on out that way soon. She stopped by KLE0’s and Daisy’s to stock up on more ammo and made her way through the ruins of Boston.

 

_Later that night…_

The Diamond City Security office still had that faint smell of locker room. In another life she would have been in awe of standing in the Red Sox locker room but this was not that life and this was no longer a locker room. Chell knew the score. She’d just bribed the guard with 200 caps to let Mel out of lock up and she kicked herself for putting so much out for someone she didn’t know. She was glad that she had squeezed more caps out of the old Ghoul. The General leaned up against the sliding cell door and introduced herself briefly. 

Mel didn’t look like the usual thug; his roundish face and flaming red hair gave off a certain sense of kindness. 

“Hey thanks for that, but I’m not sure why’d you’d bail me out?”

She gave Bobbi’s note to him. “I believe we’ll be workin’ together actually. Bobbi told me to come get you out of lock up for a job she’s got. Said that you’d be the best man for the job.”

Mel looked over the note and rubbed the back of his neck. “I told Bobbi I wasn’t comfortable workin’ with her anymore…but I guess just one more couldn’t hurt. Note says we’re gonna need Sonya too so how about you head back to her, let her know I’ll be there by the afternoon. And thanks again! This place can get a bit stuffy.”

Chell smiled but in her head she couldn’t ignore the irritation at how big this was already starting to get.

_Great, more waiting. I’m already starting to regret this. I got too much shit to do than to wait for more people._

By the time she got back to Goodneighbor the early light of dawn was just starting to peak over the horizon. Dense fog had rolled in from the coast when she walked through the gates and it filled the brick streets like a thick blanket of wool. She sat on the bench outside of Daisy’s, staring at the windows of the Statehouse. She wondered if he was asleep with someone. She sighed heavy and scolded herself. The image of that woman on top of him months ago burned in her mind; the sound of his low groans as she must have moved on him. The skin on her arm prickled and she felt her face flush. Why did these thoughts rear their head now? Was it because she wanted him? _It’s been two years…well actually probably more like 12._ Her husband’s face was starting to fade from memory just slightly and she could barely remember the sound of his voice. 

_How this place has changed me. I am not the person I was._

As the sun broke over the land, the fog started to dissipate. Chell ground the butt of her cigarette out with her heel.

“Time to get to work.” She said aloud to herself. 

Bobbi explained the plan. They were to tunnel through to Diamond City using the old sewer lines but some of the tunnels had collapsed due to flooding over the last 200 years. Mel grinned at Chell and showed off his friend, Sonya. He just so happened to be a robotics whiz and Sonya happened to be a modified eyebot capable of delivering sonic pulses that disintegrated the crumbling mudrock. At first the job seemed simple; duck the rusted out water lines, don’t break your ankles on the rubble hidden in puddles below. After the third wall was excavated things got interesting. Normally she didn’t mind going toe to toe with a couple of Mirelurks. What she did mind was the close quarters fighting leaving no room to peg a good shot off. After three hours of nothing but digging and fighting, one of the walls opened up into the old Mass Transit subway system. It was here that it started to dawn on Chell. 

_We’re not going to Diamond City._

“Hey Bobbi? Where exactly are we going? This isn’t the way to Diamond City…” 

Bobbi’s demeanor suddenly took a hard edge. “We’re going the right way. Just shut up and do your job.” she barked.

Chell furrowed her brow. “Look Bobbi, keep talking to me like that and the next Razorclaw that takes a swing at you might actually connect. I’m not a fuckin’ idiot. Where are we going?”

“I told you. Diamond City. Let’s keep going and I’ll show you.”

“Hey boss, I think she’s right…I’ve studied these tunnels for years and this ain’t the way..” Mel examined the subway transit map. 

“I’m not paying you to think, either of you.”

After Bobbi moved ahead of them, Chell pulled Mel aside. ”Hey I gotta bad feeling about this. You know where we are at all?”

Mel checked the distance between them and Bobbi. “If I’d have to guess we’re much too south of DC to be close. I’m startin’ to think that she lied to me….to us.”

“If shit hits the fan I’ll back you up. Let’s see where this takes us and go from there, yeah?”

Mel nodded in agreement. At least wherever they were going they could rely on each other. After they left the subway tunnels they were in a sublevel or basement of some sort. Mirelurks were now no longer a problem but there were plenty of Ferals holed up in the forgotten rooms. It was another 3 hours and a lot of bullets later by the time they reached the level just below the main floor. Bobbi beckoned for Mel and instructed him to have Sonya blow through the floor. The Ghoul was practically licking her chops.

Chell’s doubt had produced butterflies in the pit of her gut. _This isn’t right….we’re not supposed to be here. What has she gotten me into?_

Reluctantly, Mel blasted through the ceiling. This proved to be Sonya’s undoing however; the eyebot dropped from its flight and lay there motionless. 

“SONYA! Oh no! OH girl I’m so sorry” Mel cried out, dropping to his knees beside his fallen creation.

“Shut up and lets move. Worry about your robot later.” 

Mel wiped a few latent tears from his eyes, and Chell laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Sonya did an extraordinary job. You should be proud. Sorry she didn’t make it.”

“Thanks, General. You know…not many people would give two shits about an eyebot, but Sonya was a labor of love. It means a lot to me that you care.”

“Would you two shut it and get up here? I need you both now!” Bobbi yelled from the upper floor. Chell curled her lip and helped Mel to his feet. 

The room they entered was certainly a warehouse of some sort, with 2 massive railcars. The shelves lining the room carried nothing but random junk. The place was practically empty. 

After a quick assessment, Chell’s annoyance became anger. “Bobbi, this isn’t Diamond City.” She aimed her pistol at her conniving employer. “If you lie to me again, I’ll shoot you where you stand. Where the fuck are we?”

“…. you’re trespassing, that’s where you are.” Said a voice that was not altogether unfamiliar.

Chell turned her attention from Bobbi to find Fahrenheit standing on the overhead walkway surrounded by two Triggermen in Hazmat suits. 

“Fahrenheit? What are you doing here?” Chell asked oblivious.

“Where the fuck do you think you are, Vaultie? This is Hancock’s Strongroom you just broke into.“

The butterflies in Chell’s gut suddenly turned to lead pellets. 

_Oh fuck me…_

“What the fuck is this, Bobbi?” she cocked the hammer of the pistol. “You played me?”

“Alright, fine. We weren’t going to rob Diamond City, we were going after Hancock. I can’t stand that smug sonuva bitch. Everyone’s either so fuckin’ in love with him or scared of him. Not me. That asshole has gone soft and its time someone else with more balls does something about it. You know, you can stand to make so much more if we took this place over…”

“Shut the fuck up, Bobbi. NOBODY plays me the fool. I’ve murdered people for less than this but I’m willing to let you walk out of here with your life. Otherwise, I’ll just scrape your brains off my shoe when I’m done blowing your God damn head off right now. So what will it be?”

Bobbi sucked her yellowed teeth. “I guess then I’ll just have to claim the haul on my own.” 

With a piercing scream she sprayed suppressing fire over Chell’s head before ducking behind a steel support beam. Mel scurried off to the corner, timidly firing off a few rounds towards Bobbi’s direction. Chell ducked behind a few steel crates and reloaded, kicking herself for ever getting involved. It wasn’t the gunfight that was bothering her so much as the fact that she had been made a fool of. If she survived this firefight, she would most certainly have to answer for her role in this heist. There was a brief pause as Bobbi had to reload; Chell took this opportunity to position herself better for a cleaner shot. Bobbi wasn’t well protected, all she needed was one clear moment and this could all be over. The semi auto that Bobbi used was terribly inaccurate. 

“HEY BOBBI! You’re gonna have to do better than that if you’re gonna survive this!” Chell taunted from behind a concrete barrier.

The Ghoul took the bait. In the heated moment she peeked her head out from behind the beam and yelled back, “Funny I was gonna say the same of yo—“

Bobbi never finished her sentence; Chell’s bullet had blown her jaw clean off along with most of the rest of the side of her head. 

“CLEAR!” Chell yelled. She put her hands up and stepped out in full view of Fahrenheit, who had watched the battle in amusement. Somewhere in the background, she heard Mel vomit in the corner. 

“Nice work, Vaultie.” The red head bemused and hopped down from her perch. “I’m sure Hancock appreciates the fine work you did…but that doesn’t explain why you of all people are here.”

The sounds of retching had ceased and Mel sidled up alongside Chell. “Bobbi told us both that we were pinching the Diamond City Storeroom. She told us we were hitting McDonough.”

Fahrenheit chuckled a little, the secret irony not lost on her. “Well, you’re not are you? Get the hell out of here before I change my mind and have you shot for attempting to steal from the Mayor of Goodneighbor.” 

Mel scowled. “Fine, this isn’t what I signed up for anyway.” He turned to Chell, “sorry it played out like this. It was nice knowin’ you anyway.”

Once the two women were alone, Fahr took a more relaxed approach.

“You had a lot of guts trying this stunt, Vaultie.”

“Well, I would like to keep my guts inside, if that’s an option.” Chell quipped. 

“What did you know about this job Bobbi tried to pull?”

“Hey, all I knew is that she had a job, that involved shooting a few Mirelurks. She said we were gonna reclaim stolen property from McDonough in Diamond City. Said it was their storeroom we were going to hit. Normally I don’t take jobs like this, but I need caps for supplies. If I’dve known we were hitting Hancock, I would have shot her as soon as I found out.”

“Hm. Well, I’m not the one you should be explainin’ to anyway. You know he’s gonna wanna have a few words with you. You’re not off the hook yet and he’s not gonna be happy about it. But between you and me, I believe you. I don’t think you would’ve shot ol’ Bobbi if you actually meant to steal anything. Besides, we knew the bitch was comin’ so you’d be shit outta luck even if you tried. There’s nothin’ here.” Fahrenheit snuffed her cigarette out. 

“So this whole thing was a waste of time? I’m out 500 caps, plus the 2 I already paid to get that guy outta DC lock up.” the General attempted a joke.

“Well, to show you no hard feelings I suppose I could offer a token of my appreciation anyway. In the steamer chest behind the concrete barrier I have a minigun that I’ve been saving for a special occasion. Don’t get much of those myself anymore but you seem to get more action. Put ‘er to good use and she’s yours.”

“I appreciate that. He puts a lot of trust in you…I can see why.” 

“Your flattery ain’t worth shit here, Vaultie, just get out. Don’t keep him waiting.”

The General nodded in compliance, not wishing to embarrass herself further. 

_He already knows. He’s gonna be so pissed. I should have been smarter and got more info on her before I agreed to this. Fuck now how am I gonna get supplies now?_

On the way back she did her best to steer clear of Big John’s Salvage taking a north east route nearer the DB Tech Highschool. Since she was alone and already pretty shaken, she tried not to attract attention from the Raiders holed up inside. With it getting dark, she knew that most of them would most likely be too hopped up on chems to give a shit about one lone traveler. She found a small shack with a beat up sleeping bag and figured this would be a good place to camp for the night. She flopped down hard, exhausted from the dig and from the fight. Her instinct told her that she should at least walk the perimeter; the coast usually had way too many Mirelurks for her liking, and inland had too many Raiders. For now though it didn’t concern her. She pulled a canister of Jet from her satchel and inhaled deeply, trying to calm the anxiety. 

_Shit, he’s gonna stab me like he did Finn, isn’t he? I don’t want to have to kill him. I was really beginning to like him. I don’t want to ruin Goodneighbor like that._

She imagined that he would scream at her, maybe even hold the knife to her throat. He didn’t seem like he wanted or needed the caps, so paying him off wouldn’t work. She had thought of the other alternative, offering a pound of flesh. She cringed at the idea of selling sex for her transgression. He kinda seemed the type to accept it, but she hoped that he wasn’t that type of person. If she was to consider sleeping with him, it would be because she wanted to and not because she had to pay off whatever debt. 

_You’re a widow, remember? Why are you even thinking about sleeping with other people?_ The nagging voice in her head reminded. 

_Shut up. Nate’s been dead a long time and he hadn’t touched me since I got pregnant._ She continued bitterly. It was true though. She loved Nate more than life itself, but the marriage had started to turn rough. The sex was infrequent enough before she got pregnant, and after she told him the news he shut down physically. Sure, he was affectionate but she couldn’t light the fire in him. Eventually, she just gave up and tried to be content with quick kisses and hugs. 

_Maybe that’s why I have this thing for Hancock…I don’t want just kisses and hugs._

She sighed heavy and popped open a bottle of warm beer and some hard tack made from Razorgrain. 

_Well, Hancock’s not gonna be givin you hugs and kisses now when you get back to him. He might just shank you and call it a day. Why are you thinking about sex when you know he’s probably gonna try to kill you?_

She imagined his eyes and his mouth just inches away as he would slip a knife between her ribs. His eyes lowering to watch her mouth gasp for air as he held her and stabbed over and over again. The thought terrified her yet in a sick way thrilled her at the same time. The idea of Hancock penetrating her, taking that last breath of hers as he looked on…She shuddered and banished the thought. 

_You’re a sick freak, you know that?_ She sighed and got up to make one more perimeter check before settling down for the night.

_The next morning…_

No Mirelurks, no Raiders in the night to threaten her; only the crippling anxiety of her end journey kept her from getting any sort of rest. She fumbled her morning bump of Med X and she cursed the pooling bruise that formed in her arm. At least it was enough to take the edge off in order to continue. She headed out before the Raiders even knew what time of day it was and quietly made her way through the destroyed streets of East Boston. Time seemed to pass quickly and before she knew it she was near Postal Square. This area was always infested with Super Mutants and Gunners which she mowed through with some effort. She lauded herself on not getting seriously injured this time around, but that good feeling faded quickly as the neons of Goodneighbor reflected off the surfaces of the surrounding buildings in the Financial District. She approached the gate and stopped, whispering her final thoughts to Shaun.

_This might be the last of me, my son. I wish I could see your smiling face once more._

Upon entering, the streets were empty and quiet. The silence disturbed her and reminded her of the old spaghetti westerns she used to watch with her Grandma as a kid. With trepidation, she opened the nearest beaten door of the Statehouse. 

“Well look who it is! I hear Hancock’s waitin’ for ya. I’ll be havin that nice rifle of yours when your dead.” One of the guards commented. 

_Christ news spreads fast round here._

“Yeah, well, that is if I die. You’re welcome to come try me now if you think you’re man enough.” She growled. If she was gonna get killed, it wouldn’t be without the fight.   
She climbed the spiral staircase and saw that both doors were wide open. Hancock was leaning against the wall nearest the window, arms crossed and looking amused.

_He watched me come in._

She started to speak but before the words could come out he had already started.

“I didn’t think you’d be the type to go robbin’ me.”

“Hancock, look….I’m sorry. I really am. Bobbi told me we were going to reclaim some equipment from McDonough in Diamond City and she needed help clearing the ‘Lurks from the sewers. I had no idea this was a hit on you.”

“So I’ve been told. I knew she was after my Strongroom. Hell, I’m almost pretty sure I was the one that laid that trap. Bobbi’s had it out for me for years. I just didn’t know that you’d be the one to get roped into it.”

“I don’t wanna fight you, you know. I’ll make it up…however you want.”

Hancock uncrossed his arms and his eyes widened. “Make it up?” his laughter rang through the building. “Shit, this is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time, aside from the Silver Shroud cleaning up the streets of Goodneighbor. You did me a favor waxin’ Bobbi like that. That’s 3 that I owe you. Don’t worry, sister. I ain’t mad, especially at you. Told you I know how to pick my ponies.” He chuckled. 

Chell was shocked. She thought for sure that she’d end up bleeding out on the carpet she was standing on. “So you’re not gonna kill me…or at least try to?”

“What? Fuck no! Who do you think I am?” he sighed, “a lot of people have that notion of me though, don’t they? What am I but a puppet up here? A tyrant? Ya know, this fancy tricorner hat gets heavy after a while. I’m gettin’ too comfortable here. There used to be a time that I would gladly scheme with some of these people.”

Chell could feel the weight of his words laden with disappointment, “So, what is it that you want?” 

“I want to get out of here. Need to sharpen up the ol’ killer instinct and actually make a difference, like you. I can’t do that from up here behind these walls.”

“What about your people? What would they do without you here?”

“I’m Mayor whether I’m here or not and they know it. Its not the first time I left Goodneighbor to get my bearings.”

Chell could hardly believe what she was hearing. She decided to take a gamble on pure impulse.

“Hancock, why don’t you come with me?”

He smiled the largest smile she’d ever seen; all teeth behind his withered lips. “You serious? You want me along for the ride?”

She eased her stance and moved a little closer to him. “Absolutely. You watch my back and I’ll watch yours.”

He paused “Yeah, I like it. I think you’re just my kind of trouble.” He winked. 

“To be honest though I swear I was expecting you to stab me here in your room and that would be then end of it.” She felt the weight of the last few days finally lift off her   
shoulders. 

“You really thought I was gonna kill you over that?” he turned to fix the both of them a celebratory drink. 

“Well, yeah. I mean, you stabbed Finn to death just for insinuating extortion. You’re one of the most feared men in the Wealth from what I hear…naturally I assumed that you’d want me to make amends.”

He handed her a drink and pushed a pill into her hand, “Here. Its Daytripper. One of my favorites…kinda rare around here since its PreWar, but then again I’m finding a lot of my favorites are PreWar these days…” He popped his under his tongue and let it dissolve. “I’m sure that I can find other ways to have you make up your poor decision making to me.” He rested his head back, opening one eye and smiling waiting for her reaction.

She slowly, deliberately placed the tab on her own tongue, making sure eye contact was made. “Oh you’re sure, are you? Just don’t make me run naked through a nest of Bloatflies and we’ll be just stellar.”

“Mmm now that’s a hell of a thought….not the Bloatflies…but the other..well you know, whatever.” He coughed and blushed. Inside his head he felt the room start to vibrate and stars started floating in and out of his peripheral vision. 

Chell laughed, turning rose colored in turn. The Daytripper didn’t take long to start taking effect and soon enough she sprawled out on the couch opposite the Mayor feeling delicious.

“I remember the first time I ever made Daytripper. I was a Junior in college and the prototype was a bit too strong. I tripped my face off for almost 2 days straight. I don’t even know how I even made it to class half the time.”

Hancock sat up in interest. “What was it all like? You know, before the war. All I ever had was books and Daisy to tell me but your memory is probably clearer and less biased than all that propaganda shit they wrote in all those textbooks. “

She licked her lips, swallowed. “It was something alright. I remember when the lines for the food banks started, then the rationing, then the riots. By then we were all pretty fucked though; thousands of people were dying every day from some unknown plague. That was one of the whole reasons why I went into Chemistry really. I wanted to find the cure. Then after they couldn’t stop it they imposed curfew and shot anyone who didn’t comply. I got lucky because Uncle Sam got real interested in me after I got caught modifying the Buffout compounds recreationally. They put me to work on the Psycho project for their super soldiers before trying to turn me into one when there weren’t enough draftees. After I found out that we were pregnant though they gave me a nice place up in Sanctuary, got me a spot in the Vault up the hill. It was real shit for everyone else though, I’m sure you’ve seen all the military checkpoints all over the place. I’ve….seen things I’d rather care to forget actually. Before the War though there were moments that I miss but eh, you know….you make do with whatcha got. Won’t lie though, I was scared shitless nearly every day up until the end.” 

_Did that lamp just shimmy 2 feet to the left?_ She thought. _I better get off this train of thought before this trip turns sour._

“How does the Commonwealth compare? You seem to be handling yourself pretty well, sister”

“Its easier to know where you stand,” she said after much thought, but her thoughts were becoming harder to pin down. “I miss some things, like cars and clothes without holes and supermarkets full of food. I like the people here though, they’re more honest…even when they’re trying to kill you.”

Hancock nodded in agreement. “Do you miss your husband?” He asked softly.

Chell didn’t know how to answer at first. “Yeah, I do. I mean, its been 2 years now and it stings a little less…although I guess in reality its more like 12 years ago that he was killed. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it…tried not to think about it too much.” Her eyes welled slightly, and she shook her head to clear them. “You sure you’re not put off followin’ around some PreWar Mom lookin’ for her kid?”

“Nah, not with the way you operate, girl. You get shit done and I respect that. I’ll help you find your boy and as long as you’ll have me around it don’t matter what we do.“ He took a drag of his cigarette and offered it to her.

She took it gingerly and in her mental hypersensitivity made note of the cool wetness of the filter where his lips had touched it. “What about you, Mayor? I just poured about half my life story out just now…quid pro quo.”

“What’s there to say really? I came to Goodneighbor about 10 years ago…back then I didn’t look like this though. Had a smooth set of skin, ya see. A buddy of mine told me he had a lead on some experimental radiation shit, only hit of its kind. I was broke as fuck but I wasn’t about to turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity, ya know? So I booted up and blacked out. Sure I’m livin’ with the side effects but what’s not to love about immortality, right? Took a while to turn though, and that wasn’t fun, but no one here ever fuckin’ judged me so it made it easier to deal with. Ya know, not a lot of people would travel with a Ghoul. Not even one with my kind of Charisma.”

Chell almost didn’t hear the last part as the fabric of the couch started to envelop her and she felt like she was sinking. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant.

“Fuck the haters, let them think what they want. I never paid them much mind anyway, I owe them shit. In the Minutemen I made it a point to welcome any Ghoul I could. They’re wise and they know how to fight…well the ones who wanna fight anyway. The Brotherhood always goes on about how they’re the superior ones but then they turn around an’ fuck over anythin’ that ain’t human. I got serious issues with that. You keep sayin’ ‘Of the people, for the people’ well fuck if that ain’t the God’s truth. It means ALL people, Ghouls and liberated Synths included.”

Hancock raised his drink in toast. “Fuck yeah, sister! That’s what I like to hear!” 

By now the Daytripper had started to course through their bodies at full potency. A good portion of the next few hours were spent laughing at each other; Chell joked that she swore his face was melting and Hancock feigned shock. A few more quips and jabs at each other were exchanged until a moment of clarity eked its way past the chem fueled haze.

“It’s getting pretty late you know, where you stayin’ at?” he asked, hopeful she would stay in the Statehouse still.

“Eh I was probably gonna hole up at the Rexford, why?”

“Well, you’re welcome to the couch here if you wanna save the caps and not get bitten by bugs. I don’t usually sleep though so I might be up and about, but I’ll go in one of the other rooms if I gotta.”

“I really couldn’t impose like that. I’m not like one of your girls lookin’ for a warm place to sleep, if you know what I mean.” She meant this as another well meaning jab but the faintest bit of bitterness tainted her words. She regretted it instantly when she saw him pull back as if she’d struck him across the face. 

_Fuck, I knew that’d be an issue._ “Look, I know, and I’m glad you’re not. It was just an offer, you don’t have to take it if you don’t wanna.”

“Well thanks. I’m alright at the Rex for now. I might have a few more bits of shrapnel I gotta pick out from the firefight in Postal Square. I can’t seem to get through Boston without picking up more metal.” She rose from her seat and swooned a bit from the Daytripper. _This stuff is good_ , she thought, _better than the stuff I’ve been distributing_. 

He saw her dip and moved quickly to her side, grasping a hold of her arm gently and guided her back to the couch. 

“Are you sure you wanna go?” He asked again but this time his desire to have her stay became much more apparent. She laid back with his help. 

“Alright…I’ll stay, but don’t leave me to trip alone.”

“I got ya covered, don’t worry ‘bout that.”

The pair stayed up longer into the night, still laughing at the fluttery feelings in their bellies and cracking near-unintelligible jokes. Hancock told her about the time many summers ago he, Daisy, Ham and Fahrenheit went to the shore to swim and Fahrenheit had stolen all of his clothes so he had to chase her all the way back into town in nothing but his shorts. Chell found that particularly funny since she didn’t think Fahrenheit had a sense of humor and she didn’t mind the image of Hancock being wet and almost naked. She grinned like an idiot and started to turn red at the thought when Hancock caught her.

“Did I embarrass you? Sorry I know thinking about wet Ghouls is kinda gross. Let me tell you though, its not pretty.”

“Oh no, I don’t think its gross at all.” She smiled. “Maybe while we’re out we can find a swimming hole. I promise I won’t steal your clothes though.”

Now it was Hancock’s turn to blush. He could just imagine her golden locks dripping with water, beads of it running down her shoulders and breasts…he thought about how she could wrap her legs around him….

“You still here, Hancock?” She tapped. “Didja check out on me?”

“Oh yeah…just thinking is all. I think you an’ I are in for a whole lotta fun.”


	7. The Minutemen

Dawn broke a few hours later. Hancock awoke with a start as Fahrenheit had used her preferred method of kicking him in the shin. His yelp had woken Chell in turn who had passed out on the red velvet couch opposite him. 

_Clothes intact….I didn’t embarrass myself after all_

Fahrenheit lit a cigarette and shifted her gaze between the two of them. Something happened and she couldn’t quite pin it down. She watched as they woke and noticed they moved around the room together as they gathered their belongings. 

_They’ll be trouble together, I know it._ She thought to herself as she took a deep drag. 

“Chell, I’ll be right down alright? Gotta deliver the news to the flock then we’ll roll whenever you’re ready.” He said. 

_Is he glowing? He’s glowing._ Fahr rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, Imma hit up Daisy and KLE0 before we leave, though.” She beamed.

 _Ugh fuck me._

Chell strolled past, still smiling like an idiot. Hancock stared at her as she hopped down the stairs and sighed.

“You two are fucking disgusting, you know that?” his bodyguard spat. 

“Jealous much?” he chuckled, shoving several tins of Mentats into a small satchel.

“So, what? You’re just gonna leave with her?”

“You said I had to get out, so I’m steppin’ out for a little, yeah? Why, did you have a change of heart all of a sudden?”

“Well, no…” she hesitated. The pause caused Hancock to stop packing and study her closer. After all these years and all he that he’d taught her he rarely ever saw this side of her. The ‘unsure’ side.

“Hey. This is me we’re talkin’ bout here. She’s capable enough, it’ll be fine. She’s got a PipBoy and Kent’s got the radio so if you need me for anything urgent it ain’t like you won’t be able to get me.”

“’Suppose you’re right, like usual. Look, I’m gonna get real uncomfortable here in a minute, so just listen so I don’t have to repeat it, alright….I see the way you’re lookin’ at her. This has Darcy all over it----“

“Stop right fuckin’ there. You can’t even put the two of them in the same league, Fahr. Chell ain’t Darcy, alright? And besides…I ain’t steppin out because of her, this is for my own benefit. Oh yeah, an’ fuck you for mentioning Darcy. I was having a good morning.”

The younger woman sighed. Darcy had ripped John apart, it was a miracle he didn’t kill himself then and there. This had the potential to be even more disastrous. 

“I’m just sayin’, John. You tend to get involved with broads faster than a Molerat on Jet; don’t do it with this one. And fuck you too….I’m sayin it for her sake, not yours, you oaf!” 

He finished packing, which to the untrained didn’t look like he packed anything at all. His satchel bulged at the sides with all the “provisions” he could carry: Mentats, Jet, Med-X, Psycho, DayTripper and Daddy-O. He swung the bag behind him grinning like a fool at his friend as he cleared the room to the door that led to the outside balcony. 

At Daisy’s, Chell’s head was floating. She ordered her usual .44 rounds and her EMC’s quietly humming to herself. 

“Hey Daisy?” she looked up from the catalog.

“Whatcha’ need, love?”

“What does Hancock carry? I wanna grab him some ammo but I don’t even know what he shoots.”

Daisy shrugged a bit. “Usually keeps it simple with a sawed off, here….” She tossed a few boxes of shells down from off a high shelf. “This should do it for a few days, providing you don’t try to take out the Brotherhood…”

“Nah, nothin’ like that. Just travelin’, ya know.” 

Daisy wiped some errant grease from her leathery hands. “You know what you’re gettin yourself into, right? Not many people come back after walkin around with him you know.”

“Ah I’ll be fine, Dais. It’s me, remember?”

Daisy cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “Jesus, you sound like him. You two will be nothin’ but trouble.”

“Not if I can’t help it.”

Chell plopped some caps down to cover the ammo and turned down the narrow alleyway in between the storefronts and the Statehouse. Hancock’s voice was echoing off the facades

“HEY! All of you, gather up! I got something you all need to hear. No rush….everyone just take your time…”

A small throng of gatherers crowded below the balcony. Chell leaned up against the furthest building, looking up and trying not to smile.

“Look, everyone…I’m taking a walk. Its time for your fearless leader to get back out there, mix it up in the dirt before I forget what that feels like…”

A man in a torn, blue jacket called out: “You can’t leave Hancock! We need you!”

“Hey, I’m always gonna be here in spirit, my man. Goodneighbor and I…” he paused and looked at Chell for a moment, “Goodneighbor and I, we got a connection. But, like any hot-and-heavy relationship, sometimes you gotta spend some time apart. Let things cool off….remind yourself of who you are. So that’s why I’m leaving. I’m still your Mayor, I’m still gonna be here when you need me, but its time for me to stop living so damn comfortable. We all know, no one in power deserves to be comfortable for long. Now!, What’s the best town in the Commonwealth? Where can someone live free? With no judgement?”

The crowd shouted back at him: “GOODNEIGHBOR! OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE!”

“And don’t let no one forget it!” He shouted back. 

Chell laughed lightly to herself. _Such a showman._ She shrugged.

She kicked the ground nervously when he kicked the door of the Statehouse open and marched down the granite steps like a kid in a chem store. 

“I hope you packed food and a bed roll at least.” She side eyed.

“I got everything I need right here, don’t worry.” 

“Here. Daisy said you carried a shotgun so I got you shells.” She said, tossing him a box or two of the ammo she’d bought him.

“Hey, thanks.” He said surprised. “Usually I’m the one handing out provisions.”

“I said before, I got you covered. First things first, we’re meeting up with the team at the Castle first to brief everyone on the Institute. Then I imagine I got some house calls to make. We got a shit ton of ground to cover so let’s jam.” She adjusted the map markers on her Pipboy before tightening the bun in her hair. 

Hancock turned and looked around one final time before following his companion out the door. 

_Now’s the time where I start livin’ again._

 

The air wasn’t as oppressive as it had been a few days prior; August had started off overwhelmingly humid but today was about as perfect as a summer day could be. The sun shone brightly through the rusted out holes in the skyscrapers, the sky harbored no renegade clouds. Chell’s skin prickled nonetheless; a rad storm was brewing. Maybe not today, but it was a big one, and it would be here eventually. 

“There’s a Rad Storm comin’.” Hancock attempted small talk. “Us Ghouls can always tell, even if its nice outside now. We can feel it in our skin. I’d probably guess its not gonna hit for another week or two though. ”

Chell hummed. “That so? Looks nice enough now.”

“Yeah, well you’d think that…but this one is gonna be a good one, I can tell.”

“What happens when it hits? Do you get all super freakish strong or somethin?”

His eyes widened as he flashed back to the last time he was out of Goodneighbor during a Radstorm. “Heh, I wouldn’t worry too much. Rads tend to…excite Ghouls so I ain’t gonna fight you if that’s what you’re gettin’ at.” He cleared his throat. 

Chell remembered her last Radstorm, late at night in Sanctuary. Her fingers had wandered between her legs and the ensuing orgasm had been stronger than any she had had before. At the time she thought it was just because she was so starved, but after Amari’s warning and Hancock’s addition to that it started to make sense. 

“You’re lookin’ awfully red there General. Did I get ya thinkin too hard?” he joked with that devilish grin again. 

“Yeah you wish.” She said pulling herself together as best she could. “I was just remembering the last Radstorm. I guess you’re right, we’re about due for one soon anyway.”

Chell’s usual route to the Castle involved hugging the coast as much as possible. At this point it was so well traveled that any signs of hostile wildlife were no more than stinking carcasses washed up in the shore. Chell handed Hancock a bandana to cover his face to protect him from the smells to which he gratefully accepted.  
He watched her as they both made their way through garbage filled streets. Each intersection she carefully inspected around corners and kept watchful eyes on the broken windows several stories up. At times, the concrete sidewalks disappeared under several inches of seawater. This didn’t slow Chell down in the least but Hancock grumbled about his coat.

“If this gets ruined, I’m sending you the dry-cleaning bill.” He said flatly.

“How do you guys even know what ‘dry-cleaning’ is? I doubt Boston’s even had one open since the bomb.” She shot back sarcastically. “Don’t worry, you won’t be wearing that for long.” 

And she immediately regretted her choice of words.

Hancock’s full throated laugh bounced off the sides of every building in the block. “Freudian slip there, General? I knew you wanted to get in my pants…”

“That’s not what I fuckin’ meant, you creep.” She rumbled, her face turned redder than an overripe Tato.

“Yeah...but look atcha! You WERE thinkin’ about it.”

“I MEANT to say that once we leave the Castle, you’re gonna want to change out of that outfit. Anyone finds out that the Mayor of Goodneighbor left his tall tower they’re all gonna wanna dance with you.”

“Don’t worry doll, I’ll save the first one for ya.” He grinned his mile long smile, all teeth. 

Chell peeked around a few corners before dropping her bag to the ground and rummaging through. 

“Chem break? It’s been a few hours.” She offered, holding up a syringe of Med X and a canister of Jet in her right hand. Hancock slid his shotgun in the holster he had hidden inside his precious coat and joined her in the shade. 

“Figure gotta get this in before we get to the Minutemen. The rest of ‘em don’t really approve and it sucks to disappoint them after all the hard work they do.” She tried to justify the impromptu session.

“Well they can be disappointed in me all they want, I don’t give a shit what they think about me.”

“I think they’ll just be surprised to see you out of town.”

“They’ll get used to it.” He grinned and rolled up his sleeve.

In a few hours the Castle was within sight. They stopped in the parking lot just outside, Chell sighed heavy with the thought of all the bureaucratic crap she was in store for. “Just giving you fair warning, I might be a bit swamped here for a day or two; its been a long time since I’ve checked in and Preston’s probably gonna tackle me before we leave again. I suspect we’ll probably have a few jobs waiting for us.”

“No worries, I’m sure I can find a few things to occupy my time. I always wanted my own Castle.”

“Don’t start trouble, alright?” she admonished gently, swiping at him.

“Can’t make promises you know I won’t keep.” 

The Castle seemed to be much more full of life these days. It was almost a year ago that Chell and Preston had cleared out all the Mirelurks and their Queen from the Bay. A violin’s song danced on the breeze that blew in from the northwest and the air was much cleaner than the mainland. From the top of the South Wall Preston watched as the General was making an unannounced stop and seemed to be accompanied by someone he couldn’t quite recognize from this distance. 

“Hector, who is that with Chell?”

The greying man next to Preston squinted hard, “If I had to guess, looks like the Mayor of Goodneighbor.” He shrugged.

Preston tightened his mouth. _Great. What’s she doing with him anyway?_

He patted his watchman on the back and turned to descend the staircase. The interior of the Castle had rows of beds for their recruits with one of the main rooms sectioned off for a few of Chell’s friends who had come to get to know her. They had all been given honorary rank in the Minutemen by her own order but none of them held any stock in the titles they had. 

“Chell’s back. She brought someone.” Preston sighed. 

The barracks looked like a college dorm room; potato crisp containers and Nuka Cola bottles were strewn about; various mounds of discarded and dirty clothes piled up in the corner. Mac looked up suddenly from a game of checkers. “Yeah? Who?”

“Hector said its probably Hancock.”

The merc’s eyes widened. “Huh…that didn’t take long.”

Mac’s game partner adjusted his sunglasses. “Are we still playing here or you concede?”

“Never to the likes of you, Deacon.”

“Hancock, huh?” the Railroad agent lit a cigarette and leaned back in his rickety chair. “How’d she get him outta Goodneighbor?”

MacCready shrugged. “Who knows. Knowin’ him though he’s probably tryin’ to add another notch to that belt of his.”

Preston groaned a little. “Make sure he doesn’t get too wild. We’re not here to party.”

Deacon laughed, “Sure Dad. I forgot I was his babysitter.”

“Chell has enough on her plate as it is…she doesn’t need him clouding her up with chems or whatever….”

Mac peered under the Minuteman’s hat, “you sound jealous, Pres. Got the hots for your General?”

“Stop. Her success is our success, that’s all.” The words were convincing, but the tone expressed was far from confident.

“R.J. quit teasin’ the man…he’s in love, can’t you see?” Deacon interjected. 

“I don’t know why I even came in here to tell you two. Anyway, one of you is up for rounds tonight so I expect to see at least some effort here.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Mac said as he sat back down, barely paying attention. 

Preston rolled his eyes and left for the kitchens. _Another mouth to feed. She better know what she’s doing with him._  
Once the pair had reached the Castle doors there was a flurry of activity. There were several rows of men and women in patchworked uniforms but they all stood at attention as they crossed the threshold. 

“As you were.” Was her simple command; she didn’t stop and walked straight through to the General’s quarters that had she herself had built up.. Hancock was impressed that the destroyed walls had all been repaired with reinforced concrete and heavily fortified with numerous turrets and guard posts. There was a flourishing garden to the right tended by several people. All in all, it was a proper working establishment. _Well ain’t this somethin’_

“Hancock, I have to have a boring meeting with my people here. Mac’s here and Deacon too….you know Deacon, right?” 

_Boy do I know Deacon…_

“Yeah, I’ve run into him a few times.” He said casually.

“Good. Make yourself at home. I probably won’t see you until real late tonight but there’s plenty of beds here and I’m sure they’ll have food in the Mess closer to dinner time.” She explained rather unemotionally. 

_I’d rather just hang out with you though_ she thought.

Hancock smiled and shrugged and lit another cigarette. “See ya then, General.”

He watched her disappear into the blue clapboard home and lost himself in thought. He didn’t hear Preston’s heavy footsteps behind him.

“Mayor Hancock.”

Startled, he turned to the sound of the voice. “Yeah?”

“Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. I don’t think we’ve been introduced before.”

“Preston, huh? Heard a lot about you. Congrats on bringing the Minutemen back from the dead.”

“A lot of hard work went into getting to this point. Most of it is owed to the General. Word to the wise, you got a reputation…be a real shame if you dragged Chell in with that.”

“I just met you and you’re already barin’ your teeth. That a threat, Garvey?” Hancock mused. 

“No threat, just letting you know where we stand. We’re aware of your antics and asking you to be mindful of what we’re doing here.”

“I thought you guys were all but done after Quincy.” 

The reminder of the massacre still stung fresh in Preston’s mind and he shut out the trigger as best he could. “You might not have heard, but the business in Quincy is over. Because of Chell’s work we’re starting to gain a better foothold. I remind you that because of her, we’re the best hope the Commonwealth has to rebuild. I’m not going to allow anything or anyone endanger her or our cause.”

“Gotta lot of confidence in just one person, Mr. Garvey. Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna force her to do nothin’ she’s not already doin’ herself….but I don’t gotta explain that to the boy scouts.”

There was a set of footsteps that approached from down the hall. Preston issued his warning and decided not to press further. He had faith in his General and whatever reason she had for having him around it must be for a good reason. 

“If it isn’t the man himself!” a baritone voice followed the footsteps and drew Hancock’s attention.

“Mr. Deacon, as I live an’ breathe.” Hancock shot a smile his way. Preston took his queue and left towards the General’s Quarters for the briefing.

“Preston giving you the business, huh?”

“Somethin’ like that. How’s the gang? Dez still makin’ you hoof it through ankle deep sludge down there?”

Deacon peered around behind him. “Yeah, same place. Haven’t been down there much lately though. So steppin’ out with the General, huh? That’s some high profile shit. What made you leave your tower?”

“You know how it is…get tired of breathin’ the same air everyday for a decade. Fahrenheit’s got it covered anyway. Your girl’s makin’ waves out here and you know I can’t be out done.”

Deacon clapped the Ghoul on the back. “Let me be the first to welcome you back to the land of the living then. Fixer’s somethin’ alright…wish she would’ve put more effort into the Railroad but these guys will work in a pinch. At least they’re not gettin’ in the way of our op.”

“They seem pretty set here. Preston seems to have a bit of a hard on for Chell though…”Hancock asked a question without actually forming it. Deacon peered over the edge of his sunglasses.

“John, you jealous? I don’t think I’ve seen that shade of green on you before. Never took you for the type.”

“Nah, man…its nothin’ really. I ain’t got anythin’ against ‘im but he should watch his mouth before threatening me again.”

“I doubt he’d actually try anything. Kid knows his stuff though and is good in a fight. As far as him and Chell…well I’ve never seen her jump in the sack with him so I think you’re alright if that’s what you’re thinkin’. He’s not the only one who’s noticed her though.”

Hancock snuffed his cigarette out. “Why does all this sound like fuckin’ grade school? I could give a shit less who wants to bang ‘er. She’s a grown woman she can do what she wants. I just wanted to get the hell outta dodge for a while and she seemed like a good ticket out.”

“Suit yourself. It gets boring as hell here so people gossip. And you know how much I eat that shit up.”

“Not all you’ll eat.” Hancock laughed. “You remember when we got real drunk at the Den few years back?”

The spy rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. “Sure do. Too bad its close quarters here, we could have a bit of fun.”

“Some other time then. I don’t think we’re gonna be here very long.” Hancock winked.

“I’m sure dinner’s gonna be ready in a few minutes. We got a couple of bottles of vodka in the barracks, why don’t you c’mon back? Got a poker game goin’ after.” Deacon brushed his hand off Hancock’s shoulder and led him down the hallway.

Chell sat at the head of table and watched her staff slowly start to filter in. Preston took the seat at her right, followed by Ronnie Shaw at her left. Next, a large broadchested Ghoul decked in Combat Armor strode in whose name she was told was Miles, then a thin, lethal looking woman with body paint over her face followed suit. In time, all 7 chairs were filled and Chell started the meeting.

“Friends, glad you’re all here. I’m sorry its been so long, but we’ve made headway against the Institute which we’ll be discussing in a few. First, I want a report on Settlement Status for Abernathy, Oberland, County Crossing, Sunshine Co-Op, and Greygarden. Last I heard they were lacking in some essentials.”

Miles stood up and reported for the Sunshine Co-Op. “So far our population is holding at 15 but we have enough resources to sustain around 13 people. We had a Super Mutant raid approximately 3 weeks ago that destroyed one turret beyond repair so we’re looking for caps or parts to replace it. We’ve also gotten wind of a Raider camp just south of the Chapel from us that’ll need to be addressed.”

“Thanks Miles. Do you know approximately how many caps you’ll need yet to make your repairs?” she scanned the papers in front of her, “It looks like we can appropriate some of food from Greentop Nursery and I can get Sanctuary to ship water no problem.”

“We’re looking for around 300 caps in all.”

Chell sucked her teeth. “Alright, I’ll see what I can come up with. Might be a little while though, can you hold up ok?”

“Sure can, General.”

A dark skinned woman stood up, “At Abernathy we had those…Synth-things attempt a kidnapping, but we gunned it down before they could get past the Wicked Fleet buildings.”

 

“Good. Those motherfucker have it comin’. Everyone alright?”

“Yeah, for the most part. We’ve turned off the beacon for now until we can get everyone calmed down enough to take new people. Farm’s goin’ good though so we can’t really ask for much.”

“If any of that changes, let me know…I’m sure Preston or Bill at the Radio will get in touch with me.”

An older man, who seemed more worse for wear attempted to stand but Chell motioned for him to stay seated and focused on him.

“How’s the Crossing, Gerry? I heard rumors that it wasn’t so great.”

“Not at all General. Mutants have been scouting the National Reserve Building trying to get in their old weapon stockpile. They came through with a mini gun last time….3 people lost their lives.”

Chell swallowed and felt the blood drain out of her face. “Jesus…Gerry, I’m sorry. I’ll be comin’ through that way in a few days…I’ll make sure to take care of them and get you fortified. I don’t want anyone else endin’ up like that.” She paused. “Who…”

“The Eckhart family. All of them…they were all at the purifier when it blew up.”

Chell spaced out; her brain desperately trying to run from the images that flashed in her mind. “We’ll take care of you. I promise.” She said quietly. 

The room was unnaturally quiet for a beat; Chell looked up and at the painted woman. She almost appeared to be a Raider, perhaps one that reformed. “What about you, love? You reporting for Oberland?”

“Yes ma’am. Oberland Station has been re-directing settlers to Hangman’s Alley for a while. We have too many people coming from Fort Hagan areas that we don’t have enough to shelter them. We need 6 more beds before we can even consider it.”

“Alright. I’ll send someone with a shipment and at least get the materials there.”

“Any idea when you’ll actually show up? You haven’t been through in almost 6 months.”

Chell looked over the edge of her glasses at the woman. “The Commonwealth is big and I am one person. I will try to get there, but in the mean time you were all trained to be self-sufficient. I trust that training hasn’t lapsed, or do I need to appoint someone else to take care of it?”

The younger woman shifted her weight, “No, ma’am. We can make do.”

“Good. Anyone else have any other suggestions on how I manage my time?” Chell said sarcastically. There were a number of mumbles indicating a negative.

“Alright, so that just leaves Greygarden then….anyone have any data from there?”

Preston cleared his throat. “General we don’t get much from Greygarden since most of the population is pretty autonomous. Last time we heard from Professor White it seemed nominal so no further action was taken. Might not be a bad idea to drop in if you’re in the area.”

“Noted. Alright folks….I appreciate all the input and we’ll be putting this into effect as soon as possible. Now, we’re gonna change gears here and focus on a bigger picture. The Detective and I had a run in with the Institute’s top assassin…obviously if I’m here it means we were successful. We may have found a lead on how to find the Institute. There is an ex-scientist named Brian Virgil living in the Glowing Sea, he may have valuable data on the mechanics on how to get in and out.”

Ronnie looked at Chell in disbelief. “No one lives there, its too toxic for everyone other than Deathclaws and Radscorpions.”

“The source is indisputable.” Chell countered. “The information comes directly from a Courser.”

A few murmurs punctuated the end of her statement. “How?” “That’s impossible!” “Can’t have…”

She raised her hand for silence. “Trust me, it’s a long story. But the truth is our mission parameters changed and I have to find this guy.”

Preston’s face brightened as he got up and pulled a few rolls from a splintered bookcase in the corner. “These are all the Pre War maps we have on the area. We’ve never been able to successfully map the area afterwards due to the hazards…but look…” he spread the rolls out over the table. “Here’s a chain of mountains that used to have some sort of cave system. Seems like it was a pretty popular tourist attraction so I bet something could live down there. It would provide a decent amount of protection from rads and creatures.”

“Of course. Amari mentioned something about the caves when we found all this out. Hell, I’m pretty sure I was there when I went to college. Ok so, we get to the caves…but look at the ground that’s gotta get covered. Its miles and miles from the boundaries. Good thing Somerville is right there, but I know I don’t got enough cores to keep a suit of Power Armor goin’ all that time.”

Miles laughed, “You could just turn Ghoul…rads don’t bother us none.”

“Sure thing…I’ll just stand in a glowing puddle for a few days and I’ll be good to go, right?” she joked. “Power Armor may be a safer bet, but I don’t have any intention of fighting anything. I just wanna get in, get out preferably without confronting anything up close. Couldn’t I just get away with a Hazmat suit?”

The older man from County spoke up, “You don’t always see Radscorpions though…they’ll rip right through that suit in seconds.”

She sighed and nodded in agreement. “Right. I guess I’ll have to think about this approach a little more. But for now I want ideas on improvements. Also, are there any new locations that need to be set up? We’ve got another hour before the mess opens and I know you’re all tired. I want to finish this up so you can go enjoy the rest of the evening.”

 

In the Barracks, Hancock and Deacon toyed with the cards they were holding in their hands. Mac sat in the corner cleaning his rifle, staring at the Mayor of Goodneighbor.

“Mac, you gonna say somethin’ or you just captivated by my good looks?”

“I guess that depends on whether or not you’re gonna try to start sh—crap here like you did at the Third Rail a few days ago, remember?”

“Thought we were over that, Mac.”

“You threatened me and you sure as heck didn’t do anythin’ to make it right, so no…I’m not over it.”

Deacon laid his cards down on the table. “I’m calling. I got 3 of a kind. What you got, John?”

Hancock pursed his lip, “Beats me. I just got a pair.”

“HA! Pay up.” And with that Hancock tossed a full pack of smokes in the spy’s direction. 

“Mac, I ain’t gonna apologize. Was I wrong? Maybe….its been known to happen from time to time. But I still think you could’ve done more…”

Deacon had just enough of the two of them already. “Gents…I don’t know what happened but maybe both of you need to pull your heads outta your asses. Whatever it was, its over, right?”

Mac and Hancock hummed in agreement. 

“Right, guys? Same team here. So leave the grudge outside.”

“Look at you, playin’ Peacekeeper.” Hancock teased, rising from his seat. “Fine. Look, Mac. Sorry….I was, we all were in a bad way that night an’ I said shit I didn’t mean. Chell seems to like you so I guess you can’t be all that bad.” He shot him a shit eating grin and handed him a beer.

“Yeah…alright.” The merc surrendered, grasping at the bottle. 

“See kids, be glad I didn’t make you hug it out.”

A cluster of people started to file past the Barracks doors towards the Mess; a tell-tale sign that food was being served. As MacCready practically dove out the door to follow, Deacon stayed behind.

“Heh….never in my life I thought I’d ever see you say you’re sorry.” He said.

“What can I say, all this fresh air and sunshine is having an effect on me.”

“Is it the scenery or the company I wonder?”

 

It had been hours after the meeting and Chell could feel it in her muscles. _How long have I been sitting here?_ She slouched in the rickety chair and started at the massive amount of paperwork that had accumulated in her absence. The briefing at least had been a productive one. She lit a cigarette and studied the Pre War maps of the Sea. Her head was throbbing with withdrawl symptoms and she could feel the familiar itch.

_I wonder what Hancock is up to?_

She sighed heavily and checked the time on her Pip Boy. If the setting sun hadn’t already given it away it was close to 8. She figured she already worked right through dinner and she still had supply and ration lists to report and needed to inventory their current stockroom. 

_I don’t know how I’m gonna have enough caps to get two more settlements operational. County Crossing’s gonna need repairs too. Fuck._

A knock at the door 20 minutes later startled her. She could make out the red hue of his coat from over the edge of her glasses.

“Permission to come aboard…er…I dunno whatever you people say.” He held up a plate of stewed Radstag and potatoes. “I didn’t see ya at dinner so I figured I’d bring it.”

Chell blinked in surprise. “Oh, yeah…thanks. Didn’t realize that it was getting so late already. “ she gestured to the angry swarm of settlement reports and charts.

He set the plate down and watched in amusement as she threw herself at the food. 

“Hey slow down, it ain’t going anywhere.”

She looked up at him and realized the faux pas. “Shit, sorry. I just get so used to eating out on the road. Gotta down it quick, ya know.”

“So are these all your camps?”

“Yeah you could say that…some of them are turning into outright cities of their own. We have a few stops ahead of us, we have 2 locations that need to be cleared out, plus County Crossing had major damage from a Mutant raid.” She said exasperatedly. “I might have to take up a few jobs along the way to pay for all of this.”

“Sounds like a party to me. How many places you got anyway?”

After a quick count, even she raised her eyebrows, “Runnin’ close to 15 at the moment.”

“Jesus, and you do all of it yourself?”

“I can’t say I did this all myself, no. I’m more of the Superintendent… something breaks and I gotta go fix it. Or exterminate pests…you know, like your rats? I don’t like going alone really, usually Deacon or Mac come with depending on what’s entailed. Now I got you.” She smiled.

Hancock felt blood rush into his heavily scarred cheeks, “Commonwealth ain’t got a prayer then. Should I let you go though? You seem…busy. Know how that goes, myself.”

“No…Hancock you don’t have to leave.” She laughed. “Its funny you came though, cause I was just thinkin’ what you were up to.” She leaned in close, “We can sneak around back…” 

His heart thumped hard in anticipation for the rest of the sentence. 

“…I got some Calmex from a guy here.” She whispered, peering at the open door to make sure Preston or Deacon wasn’t lurking.

“Sneakin’ around huh?” he matched her hushed tone. “People are gonna talk about us…” he grinned. 

Chell’s cheeks darkened a little this time. “Let ‘em talk. What do they know anyway?”

He felt like his heart had skipped a beat suddenly.

_Woah there Johnny boy._

After writing a few numbers in a thick ledger titled “Sanctuary Hills” she looked up at him. “Alright so meet me in the Mausoleum in, like, 20 minutes. I’m dyin’ for a bump of this stuff.” She looked like a kid who found a box of Dandy Apples. 

“Alright, General. 20 minutes and we go pay our respects.” He knocked on the table and turned to leave. At the door way he stopped briefly to glance at her one more time and chuckled to himself.

_She certainly is a trip._

He shuffled slowly across the courtyard and admired the evening sky. It seemed so much clearer out here than it did from the streets in the city. He leaned up against the stone doorway to the outer wall and watched the last of the settlers clean up the various garden tools and take baskets of produce back to the kitchen stock room. He could hear someone singing from within the walls which became louder and more raucous with each verse. He couldn’t help but smile a little. 

_A man could get used to this kind of peace. Good thing I’m not that kind of man…_

He disappeared around through the large fortified doors after a few minutes, slowly walking towards the back of the Castle as she directed. The Mausoleum was definitely an addition that had never been part of the original structure; there were freshly covered graves and flowers laid here that most people in the Commonwealth wouldn’t have bothered with unless it was kin. Hancock wondered if it was Chell that had given them the idea.

It was quiet back here; nothing but the gentle lap of the waves at the shoreline and the extremely distant gunfire that echoed from the mainland. He sat on the marble step of the outbuilding and breathed deeply, something that was so hard to do back home. The stars had made their first appearances by the time he could hear the grass swish under footsteps.

“Hey you back here?” her low voice pierced the silence.

“Sure am. All done being Ms. Important?”

“Never.” She grinned and shuffled into a spot next to him.

“Did you build this too?”

Chell nodded. “When we took the Castle back from the Mirelurks we lost a few decent people in the process. That Queen, man…she nearly did me in too. Couldn’t just leave em without a proper burial. Thought it’d be good for morale to let the others know that I’ll take care of them even after they’re gone.”

“Smart. Death is kinda common round here, I don’t know if you noticed. Good deal of folks are worried about surviving to the next day. Its good you’re lookin’ out for em.”

She tapped on the syringe of Calmex, watching the bubbles float to the top. “Well, the whole point of me doin’ this is so that people can survive without worryin’. But yeah, I know what you mean. It took me a long ass time to get used to this.”

“Seems like you’re doin’ alright for yourself, sister. This place is nice…a little too quiet for my taste but I can see the appeal.”

“Don’t get too used to it.” She said as she passed a needle to him, ready to go. “We’re leavin’ in the morning. I got a laundry list a mile long of shit I gotta do for Preston.”

He scoffed unintentionally. “Right. Almost forgot already. Still…should be a good time.” He hissed a little as he slid the needle in through his thickened skin, then released the tourniquet. “Shit…that’s nice.”

She hummed as her pulse felt heavy under her own ride. “Thank fuckin’ God for this. I was goin’ nuts in there.”

“Pressures of leadership get ya every time. I remember when I took over Mayor I was a fuckin’ wreck for the first few months. I had no clue what I was supposed to do…then Darcy left me then I just fuckin’ lost it an’ got real high for the next few months….”

“Darcy huh? I thought you didn’t have girlfriends.”

The side eye he shot her was lazy and sluggish. “Never said that. I said I don’t do girlfriends _anymore_. Big difference.”

“So what happened?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “C’mon, I was just starting to feel good here. I don’t really wanna go there right now. Some other time, alright?”

Chell shrugged and leaned back. “Sure. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. I don’t really know much about you so you can’t blame me for tryin’.”

“Trust me, there ain’t much to tell. I was young and extremely dumb and made terrible life choices.” He laughed. 

“I think I can relate, heh. Gettin’ into that Vault was the biggest mistake of my life.”

“Hey now, if you didn’t we wouldn’t be havin’ all this fun! Pretty sure that there’s more than a few of those assholes in there that’d agree.”

By now the full effect of the Calmex was working its way through the General. She slowly laid herself back and stared into the inky blackness of the sky. “It is kinda amazing. Before you couldn’t see the stars; there were way too many lights everywhere from the city it drowned them all out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many until I got here.”

“It’s a trip thinkin’ about all those building’s over there with lights, brand new. Though if I had to think about it I wouldn’t wanna live back then. Too many rules, too much bullshit.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. That was all bound to happen one way or the other; we’d been at war forever by that point. There was only one way to end it.” She chuckled and reached for the smushed soft pack of smokes in her back pocket.

“Helluva way to shake it up. Still, for what its worth so far I gotta say I’m glad you made it here. The Institute won’t know what fuckin’ hit em.”

After a while they helped each other off the ground and slowly walked back to the main gate. 

“So a Ghoul walks into a bar….stop me if you’ve heard this….”

“Nah…tell me.” She said slurring and giggling.

“Right, so a Ghoul walks into a bar, and the bartender says ‘we don’t serve Ghouls here’ an’ the Ghoul says, ‘That’s fine. Is the human fresh?’”

Chell had been holding back her chem induced laughing fit for sometime, but could hold it no longer. The sound of her voice rang off the sides of the stoneworked walls and echoed across the bay. 

_That right there….that has to be my new favorite sound_ he thought pensively.

So distracted by the sound of her laughter was he that they almost walked straight into Preston, who had taken the watch up for the night.

“General.” He nodded in acknowledgement.

“PRESTON! Hey man, how is everything goin’ here?” she said excitedly.

He cast a sour eye at Hancock, who couldn’t have looked more amused at his partner.

“General, are you feeling alright? You seem…,” he sighed, “you seem a little looser than normal.”

“Pshh I’m fine, Pres. You met Hancock, right? He’s gonna come with me for a while.”

Hancock smirked and waived.

“Yes, we met briefly before the meeting.”

“Yeah, Preston told me to stay away from you…”Hancock blurted out intentionally.

Chell’s silver laugh cracked out again, “Whaaa? Really? Aww c’mon man, don’t be like that. Hancock’s comin to see the Commonwealth…gonna make somethin’ of him.”

“Chell, I…I just don’t want to see you get in a situation you can’t get out of, that’s all.”

“How long we’ve been bustin’ heads?”

“A while now…but that’s not what I mea—“

“When have you ever known me to get in over my head?” she interrupted. 

He hesitated. “Never, General. And I trust you. You just mean a lot to me…to us. All of us. Not just me. We only want to see you safe out there.”

Hancock smirked and threw his arm around Chell’s shoulder roughly. “Don’t worry Lieutenant, she’s got nothin’ to worry about with me coverin’ her. Lookin’ forward to settin’ up those new settlements too.”

Chell smiled warmly at Preston, “Hey, don’t sweat it. We got this covered.”

He nodded, shifting his weight as if all he wanted to do was continue his rounds instead of the conversation. “Very well. We’ll be closing the main gates for the night so I trust everything is in order around the perimeter?”

She tapped two fingers to her temple in a half assed salute, “Yes sir, perimeter is clear.” A giggle couldn’t help but escape. Hancock coughed to conceal his own chuckles however unsuccessfully. 

Preston rolled his eyes and turned to continue on his way. _I hope she knows what she’s doing._

Chell and Hancock watched him walk out of sight before they allowed their laughter to become a bit more audible. She didn’t even notice that his arm was still slung around her back and his hand at her waist.

“Alright Hancock we have enough fun for one night,” she managed to choke out in between intermittent guffaws and fits. 

“Aww do we really have to stop here?” his hand still around her back. He wanted to pull her in closer but she tensed for a millisecond and he recoiled, stuffing the errant hand in his coat pocket.

“Yeah, heh, its getting late and we have so much to ground to cover. We’re leaving at dawn so best to hit it now.”

He walked her across the yard to the doorway of her Quarters. “Guess I’ll leave you here then. Deac said there’s an open cot in the Barracks so I’ll head that way. This was good…I can tell the Minutemen are really doin’ well with you leadin’ them.”

“Thanks.” She grinned and leaned against the doorframe. “They’re the closest thing I have to family at the moment. Its important to keep close bonds, ya know? I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them all. But anyway…I’m goin’ on and on. Go to bed, I’ll see you in the AM.” She turned and waved before closing the door slowly. 

After the door latched, Hancock stood there for a moment and questioned why the pit in his stomach no longer felt like dread or guilt, but instead felt more like hope.


	8. Fast Friends

The following morning was not kind to the General. Her mouth was sticky and tasted like a mongrel shit in it; she smacked her lips and reached for her glasses on the stand next to the bed. The display on the Pipboy blinked 4:30 A.M. and she groaned audibly. It took effort (and maybe a Mentat or two) but eventually she pulled a dingy tanktop over her head and slipped her legs into a tattered pair of fatigues. The Castle was one of the few places she had allowed a few creature comforts of home; not just a makeshift cot or dirty mattress on the floor. She rifled through the dresser at the end of her bed and pulled out a flannel shirt and second pair of jeans.

_He might as well wear a target on his back if he keeps that coat on._

Chell started into the mirror in front of her absentmindedly brushing her hair. She barely recognized herself with how thin she was getting.

_Maybe I should slow down on the chems._

With a sigh, she hoisted her trusty duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder once more before descending the iron staircase. The day was earmarked for a good amount of travel and arriving at Bunker Hill in the evening. She still wasn’t sure how well she could trust Hancock in a fight so she wanted to play it conservatively. From there, the next day would be focused on the nearest of her settlements: County Crossing. She lowered her eyes thinking about it _the whole family….gone_ She was resolved that no one else would ever have to suffer that fate again. 

The hallways were dark in the early morning but Chell was more than familiar. The doors of the Barracks were slightly ajar and she did her best to avoid the inevitable creek of the wood. 

“Ugh this place stinks..”she whispered to herself. She found him passed out on a cot closest to Deacon, his tricorn hat covering his face. 

“Psst…hey! Hancock.” She jostled him but it had no effect.

She lifted his hat and dropped it unceremoniously back onto his face. The brim of it struck across the gap of his nasal cavity making a ‘pop’ noise, which Chell couldn’t help but laugh slightly.

“Oww…” he murmured. 

“Hey, get up. Its time to go. I got you these, you should change into them.” She tossed the folded flannel also onto his face, “Don’t need you advertising to every Raider sniper in Cambridge.”

“Its not even fuckin’ light outside.” He complained mostly asleep.

“Don’t care. We gotta move out in 20 minutes if we’re gonna make it to Bunker Hill tonight.

He inhaled sharply; remembering that he had unfinished business with Kessler and Stockton.

“Alright, alright. I’m up.” 

Chell watched him rise amusedly. He started to remove the jacket and slid the top 4 buttons through his shirt before stopping to turn to her.

“Like what you see?”

“Hm? Oh, shit…right. I’ll just be outside then.” She ducked. 

_Dummy. Seriously Chell?_

She shut the door and desperately wished someone would just punch her in the face. 

_Its nothing..this is nothing. He’s just coming along with cause he’s bored and it has nothing to do with the fact that you wanted him._

_NO! You wanted him to come WITH. Just come with you…_

In a few moments the door creaked open again and he emerged looking drastically different than she was used to. He looked no different than any other Ghoul out there, save for his eyes. 

“Whatdya think? We ready?”

She bit her lip slightly. _it doesn’t matter what he wears…dammit. Those eyes…_ “Mmhmm. Ye-yeah lets go.” 

Most of their journey to Bunker Hill was spent keeping their eyes glued to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the hollowed out buildings. Hancock told her a story about the biggest bar fight at the Third Rail that sent 4 people to the Medic and left one severely scarred. There was another anecdote about a friend of his that lived in Goodneighbor before he turned Ghoul who roped him into running a shipment of fertilizer to some place near the Back Bay cause someone was making Jet. Turns out they picked up the wrong bag and delivered 150 lbs of Razorgrain instead. 

“Man was he pissed.” He laughed. 

“It took me so long to figure out how to cook Jet. I thought it was so complicated but it really is just Potassium Sulfate, Benzene, and Polytetrahydrofuran. I had overthought the process for months until I cleared out my first Chem lab in Concord. Fuckin’ directions right there on the table. So, I’ve finally been makin’ enough to distribute. My guy Wolfgang’s been making a killing and Trashcan Carla can’t keep it in stock long enough.”

It dawned on Hancock that all the Jet that’s been coming through Goodneighbor had been so exceptional the last 6 months or so. Never did he think that it would be because of his partner.

“So all the stuff I’ve been buyin’ up was all you? Fuckin’ hell, that’s amazing! I was telling Fahr about how good its gotten. Even Marowski’s gettin’ pissed cause all he gets is garbage from Raiders who cut the hell out of it.”

“I’m not in the business in competing with him, this was just for shits and giggles…like a hobby. Wasn’t sleeping much anyway so it kept my mind of…things.”

“Well you were sayin’ you needed to make some caps. No quicker way to do it through mind altering substances.”

“That’s a good point. Alright, then….After all of this we’re going back to my place and we’ll cook up a nice big batch. Mama’s gotta make some money.”

Hancock hung back and watched her from a few paces behind her. He remembered what Deacon said back at the Castle _Not the only one who’s noticed her._ and suddenly felt a pang of jealousy.

_John, stop. Don’t do this, not again._

Bunker Hill’s massive monument rose on the horizon and Chell let a sigh of relief out as they crossed the bridge then the threshold of Bunker Hill’s front gate.

“They took a lot of time to keep out the riff-raff….and yet, here we are.” He said off hand, sliding his hand across the surface of the thick, bolstered doorframe. 

“Right? I figure we’ll eat and rest here, then tomorrow get to County Crossing by the afternoon and get to work building up their defenses. I just want some hot food in me and a 1/5 of vodka and I’ll be set. Sound good to you?”

Hancock bit the inside of his cheek. “Eh, yeah I suppose. Most softskins aren’t too fond of Ghouls hanging out though.” 

“What’s the worst that could happen? You’re the Mayor of Goodneighbor, are you not?” she bolstered his confidence. 

_That smile…._ he thought to himself before shaking his head slightly. 

They headed in deeper into the monument and out the back door to the bar. As the door opened, the patrons became noticeably more quiet, shifting to dead silence as they approached Joe Savoldi to put in their orders. They found a table in the back corner and after grabbing a few beers and some noodles, Hancock leaned in his chair towards and spoke low. “See…” He whispered to Chell, “They think all Ghouls are gonna turn Feral or somethin’. You see how they’re lookin at us. Not many people would even travel with a Ghoul, even one with my Charisma.” He laughed nervously. 

“Do you wanna get out of here?” she asked sympathetically. 

“Nah, you know what, fuck ‘em. Let them be uncomfortable.”

An older woman in a dirty tan suit made it very obvious that she was coming to speak with them. Chell recognized Marion Kessler, the ringleader of Bunker Hill. It was to her surprise that she spoke directly to Hancock instead of her.

“Mayor Hancock, you might think you’re foolin’ other people with that get up but I know its you. I do hope you’re not here to cause any trouble.”

“Well hello Marion. Nice to see you too. Me an’ my friend are just passin’ through, alright? As long as your goons don’t start nothin’ we’ll be just fine.”

Kessler didn’t even glance at Chell, instead pointing back at the gates which they just came through “I want you both out of here by dawn, you hear me?” 

Hancock grinned in a way that was not unlike a snarl. “Jesus, Kessler what’s with the shitty hospitality? You still sore I pulled out of the bum deal you were tryin’ to sell me? I told you before Goodneighbor didn’t have the funds to go through with it. Plus…why would I re-route when my girl Friday here saved all our asses?” He winked in Chell’s direction.

Kessler paused and shifted uncomfortably, nervously. “Hancock, we had a deal remember? You can’t just back out –“

“The hell I can’t? Look, I ain’t some dumb thug you can pull a fast one on and I didn’t get to where I am by rollin’ over. I didn’t need to re-route so I canceled. Its just business.” 

“That deal was worth more than just a few caps to my investors…now I’m short and its because of you!”

Chell could hear a small twang of fear in Kessler’s words, particularly while speaking of her ‘investors’. Hancock shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

“Hey I got a budget to keep too. Goodneighbor comes first; it ain’t my fault you bit off more than you can chew.” His tone became harsher, more final. He was done with this conversation. 

“Just….do your _business_ and leave in the morning.” she said throwing her hands up in frustration. 

Hancock smiled cheerily at her as she walked away, the smile souring as he scanned the room to glare at the other spectators around the room. Chell could help but chuckle a little. 

“People really don’t fuck with you, do they?” she pulled from her bottle again.

“Damn right they don’t. I might sling and boot up like the next junkie ‘round here but I ain’t an idiot.”

“I’m gonna grab some more grub at the bar. Might be better if I go, you already have these people clutchin’ their pearls.”

“Get another bottle of Vodka while you’re up there. And some Brahmin steaks..”

She tipped her fingers in acknowledgment as she shuffled to the bar. As she waited for Joe’s attention, she couldn’t help but notice a man at the end of the bar staring at her. She ignored his as best she could, pretending she didn’t notice him but when he started walking towards her she no longer had a choice in that matter.

“You’re the new General for the Minutemen, right? Damn if you ain’t the prettiest thing I’ve seen all day…” the man’s words oozed out like slime.

Chell sighed but decided not to answer, keeping her attention focused on Joe who was still bent over the grill.

“I heard there’s a contract out on you; Gunners are payin’ big for the man who ropes you in.”

She looked down at her feet, frowning. “You should leave. I guarantee that you won’t be that man.” Her hand slipped to her side, and rested on the handle of the pistol in his full view.

Hancock could see this transaction and at her motion to her gun. He stood from his chair; fingers fiddling with the handle of his combat knife. 

The man crept closer. “How’s about you convince me not to bring you in? You got a real nice mouth on ya...”

She barely picked her head up and pulled out her revolver, cocked the hammer, and aimed it point blank at the man’s groin. “I told you to leave. That was me being really, super nice. This is me being only really nice…but this is the last time. These people don’t want to see your small sensitive balls blown to pieces in their food.“ she turned and started him dead in the eye. “Don’t tempt me. I’ve killed more important people over much, much less.”

The Merc’s eyes widened but Chell never broke eye contact with him. “You have until 3 and I’m pulling the trigger, fucko. What’s it gonna be? 1……..2……….”

“Alright, fine, you fuck! You’re fuckin’ crazy, you know that?” 

“That’s what the pink elephants tell me. Now GO……”

The man skulked away and Chell disengaged her pistol, sliding it back into the holster. Hancock slowly approached, not wanting to startle her and accidentally shooting him.

“I liked the way you handled yourself there, sister.” 

“Its not the first time, won’t be the last. Happened before the War too, but I didn’t get to legally castrate them with hot lead.”

“Too many people trying to make life hard for folks just tryin’ to survive. I ain’t about to stand for that kinda shit.”

Her order was finally up, she grabbed the bottle of vodka and the plate of food and the pair walked back to their table in the corner. 

“I know what you mean, exactly. Its too often I have literally everyone asking me to help them clear out Raiders or Super Mutants or Ferals. These are people with families…just doin’ what they’re doin’. I never understood why Raiders don’t just quit being assholes and join the fuckin’ farm? Cause really…I’m gonna kill ‘em if they keep tryin’ to steal from them.” It dawned on her just then that there most likely will be some altercations with Ferals in the near future. It was inevitable when traversing the Commonwealth. She realized that she had no bearing on how her new partner felt about them, being a Ghoul himself. “So um…probably a good time to talk about it; and please, I only ask this because we’ll be doin’ this for a while and I wanna make sure we’re on the same page. How do you feel about Ferals? I mean, I know some people out there are real gung-ho on clearin’ them out, but me? I dunno… I know they don’t attack natural Ghouls so I know there’s somethin’ of who they used to be in there. I kinda feel bad for them, ya know. They didn’t choose this, but I can’t just leave them be sometimes…especially when they’re getting dangerously close to places with kids.”

Hancock was somewhat surprised at this little admission. He shrugged,“Well, they don’t bother with me if I’m by myself or if I was with Daisy or Ham…ya know. But if I’m with a softskin and they attack, well….maybe its best we put them down. Quality of life really tanks when you’re chewin’ the flesh off your own arms.” 

Chell nodded in agreement. “I feel the same. I know they were…are people. Its not their fault what happened to them. I would rather leave them alone if they’re not botherin’ anyone but when I have a whole community of people getting attacked by a random Feral here and there…well sometimes I gotta take care of it. I’m sure the people they used to be wouldn’t want to keep on going like that, right?”

“Yeah I suppose so. Don’t worry too much bout it, sister. It’s the Commonwealth, everyone’s gotta live with questionable decisions every day.” He stated, leaning back in his chair. 

Chell checked her PipBoy and analyzed the map, looking for the safest route through to County Crossing.

“Alright, I’ve just about had it with these chuckleheads down here. How ‘bout we get us a room and settle in. Entertainment might not be as excitin’ like it is at Goodneighbor, but I got a couple of comics and some Jet.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’m gonna talk to Tony and get us a room.” 

As she got up, Hancock noticed more and more people looking over in their direction, whispering in hushed tones. If he hadn’t been used to it already, he’d be pissed. Instead he flashed them toothy smiles and raised his bottle, causing them to turn away. 

_Fuck em’_. He thought. 

He saw Tony point past Chell’s shoulder in his direction“….room with him?! Are you sure?” the younger Savoldi barked in a tone that was a touch too loud not to notice. When he met the barkeep’s eyes in response the tone lowered and he could no longer hear the remainder of what was said. Not that he needed to; Chell’s body language screamed volumes He noticed her slender hands ball up into fists as she gritted her teeth in argument. Soon enough she slammed caps down on the counter and hurried back to the table.

“Let’s go. I’m tired of these assholes around here.” She said abruptly.

Hancock finished his drink and followed without a word. They climbed the latter and into the closest room. To their surprise, it consisted of a single mattress and a chair. They both eyed each other questioning the other’s reaction.

“We can take turns sleeping in shifts.” Hancock pro-offered. Not his preferred choice but he didn’t want to be so forward suggesting they sleep in the same bed. He knew, and was reminded quite painfully tonight, that no one wants to willingly sleep with a Ghoul. 

“Yeah, I guess we could.” Chell sounded disappointed and he didn’t miss the tone. “Or, you know we could use the same bed. I don’t mind, you know…its not like we’d be doing anything…right?” Her eyes looked so big in the moonlight that was pouring in the open shack door. Hancock swallowed hard and blinked.

“Um. Well yeah, I guess. Are you sure though? I’d understand if you did—“

“Its no problem to me. At all.” She reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder, softening her grip but still lingered on the fabric. “Besides, you’re nice and warm. C’mon. I got some Jet in my bag with our names on ‘em.”

With a crash she threw the duffle bag to the ground and dove into the corner of the room on the stained mattress like a child. Hancock couldn’t help but be amused. She seemed so naïve yet but the force of her, that strength she wielded… He had never met anyone like this in Boston before. She tossed him a canister and one for herself and they took the hits together. Hancock tilted his head back as the room reverberated in his brain.

“Ahhh that's the ticket. I could die and be happy knowing I can finally get good Jet.”

“I’m glad you like it. I was worried that it might be too harsh on the Benzene yet. I tried to filter as much of it out without compromising the inhalant.”

“You’re a freakin’ genius, you know?” He beamed at her.

“Oh you’re just saying that cause you’re high and you like my face.” She crooned. 

“Well, it ain't the only reason.” he laughed. 

“So Hancock, I gotta ask you….your name….its not really Hancock, is it?”

“What?”

She picked her head up. “I know your name’s not really ‘Hancock’, you know. What’s your first name?”

“It’s John.”

“For fuckin’ real? Your name is ‘John Hancock’?”

“ _Yes my name is John Hancock_ ” he mocked, exaggerating her tone of voice and laughed when she threw her empty canister at him.

“Do you have any family…I mean, besides Fahrenheit? Where are you from before Goodneigbor? I feel like I’ve done nothing but talk about myself but I don’t know shit about you.”

He laughed softly but then sobered. “Yeah I got family, well had. I had a brother once.” He replied weakly. 

“What was he like?”

 

“A dick. Straight up, grade A scumbag. But….ya know I don’t really wanna talk about ‘im.”

Chell was puzzled but acquiesced. “Sure, no problem. I didn’t mean to hit a nerve. I didn’t know.”

“Eh, its just still kinda sore after all these years. I’m feeling good here, with you. I don’t really wanna get into it about him, ya know.”

Chell nodded, patting the mattress next to her inviting him. “C’mere I want to show you the route we’re going, just in case we get split up.”

With some effort he sat next to her, knees up and leaned towards her as she angled her PipBoy towards him. 

“So on another note, tomorrow’s gonna be a challenge. We can go through this way past Weatherby Savings but there’s probably still scavengers around that are still mad I robbed them of good scrap. Well, that’s what they say anyway…I was just helping a bunch of robots launch their ridiculous ship off the roof…but anyway. I put the chances of gunfight at around 90%. Are you ready for it?”

“Fuck yeah I am. Been so long to get back in the swing of things, its gonna feel good to get back to the way it used to be. Now that I say that I sound like a psychopath, don’t I?” he smirked. “Pretty sure there’s more than a few out there who’d say that ‘bout me…but in a way I kinda am. No sport in spillin’ blood when a person ain’t earned it. Lucky for us, the Commonwealth provides.”

“I can dig it. I never thought I would enjoy it myself, but after the first time it got so much easier.” She contemplated. 

“You never forget your first time.” He said softly, inadvertently starting at her. 

_Jesus did I just say that out loud? Did she hear me?_

“No, I suppose you don’t…” she answered, turning to look at him; the deep pools of his eyes threatening to pull her in deeper. 

“Well then, we best get some rest then or it’ll be our asses in the ground tomorrow instead of them. Are…you sure you wanna sleep next to me?” he asked again slightly nervous. He hadn’t expected her response, and that look she gave him nearly knocked him over.

“I don’t get it. You have all this confidence and this is what makes you nervous?” She wondered. “You have girls literally throwing themselves at you and you’re worried about sleeping next to me in your clothes? Really, its ok.” She reassured him again. Pushing off his knee and rising from the mattress she removed her jacket and tossed it on the single chair in the corner of the room while kicking off her combat boots and returned to shuffle back into position. He felt like a teenager again, clumsy and fumbling. He shimmied the flannel button down off his shoulders and threw the grey beanie he had been wearing towards the same chair before likewise shifting next to her. 

_This isn’t going to work_ …..she thought as they lay there, still jockeying for the most comfortable position. 

When it became apparent it wouldn’t come easy Chell grabbed his arm and put it under her head and wiggled close to his body. He drew his breath in sharp, trying to distract himself from the sensation of her rear end brushing up against his groin. 

“Are you ok back there?” She asked.

“Oh….I’ll be alright I think. How about you?” 

His breath tickled the ridge of her ear down to the patch just below the lobe. Her eyes involuntarily rolled to the back of her head in a moment of uncontrollable arousal. She snapped back to the moment as quickly as the sensation had turned on her most sensitive parts.

“Hmm…uh..yeah I think so.” She bit her lip so hard she thought she might have gone through. 

“Goodnight Chell.”

“’Night, John.”

 

The following morning, he woke up mainly because his arm felt completely dead and without feeling. At first he thought it was the chems, then he thought he was starting to turn Feral, then he realized that it was her head that had cut the circulation off; she had curled up into him and was holding his other arm tightly to her. He closed his eyes again and savored the feeling of having her pressed to him. It was so unlike what he was used to; some naked girl, nothing but bones and smelling sour like dirt and body odor sleeping in his bed with him, stinking up his sheets. Chell smelled completely different; sweet and although she herself was quite dirty from the road it didn’t smell sick like everyone else. He hugged her a little tighter against him, reveling in the feeling of being close to someone who didn’t just want to fuck him. 

“Hmm….” She murmured. The sound of her sleeping made his heart flutter. Hancock buried his face into her hair and inhaled, hoping to commit the sense to memory. 

“I’m awake you know. “she teased sleepily.

“I kinda thought you were. I’m not used to wakin’ up with all my clothes on so this was….kinda nice actually.”

Chell checked her Pipboy, which blinked 4:45 A.M. “Good god its early.”

“Yeah. We better get movin’ or Kessler will throw us out herself.”

“No….I don’t wanna…” she cried like a child getting up for school. Chell shifted a little and found that she wasn’t the only one getting up. The heat from last night resurfaced and she purred a little.

“Woah, John. You didn’t sleep with your gun last night, did you?”

“Keep squirmin’ like that an’ it’ll go off, so watch it.” he chuckled and adjusted himself embarrassedly. Chell laughed warmly.

“Hey, it happens. We were close last night...” she stared. She could see the outline of the bulge through his worn pants. She could acutely feel that nagging hunger in herself.

“Why don’t you take a picture, doll?” He purred. 

“Why stop there with just a picture?” she grinned, silently kicking herself for being so open. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I could think of a few things…”

“Yeah I’m sure,” she smirked. 

After some left over steak, couple of cans of purified water and a few milligrams of Med-X, the two prepped for the day. Chell had an extra chest plate in her bag and gave it to him to put on over his long sleeve. She made quick work of oiling her pistol; making lewd jokes while doing so and reveling in his flustered reactions. They both departed from Bunker Hill with far less fanfare that had been afforded to them than their arrival and before long they were under the canopy of the demolished overpasses and skyscrapers.   
County Crossing was nearly half a days trek north and was largely uneventful. She had a holotape of some music to pass the time and hummed along, quietly murmuring out the words to music long forgotten. He could tell she was shy based on the strain she put her voice under while trying to keep quiet.

_Could give Mags a run for her money if she really belted it out._ he mused to himself. Her voice wasn't real high like a girls, but not sultry like Magnolia's. He couldn't help but want to hear more.

They rounded the corner where the former U.S.S Constitution had been parked on top of the old Weatherby Savings and Loan. Chell recounted how the robots there had recruited her due to her ‘American’ status and needed her help in getting parts for their ship.

“Can you believe it?! They even still had my old Drivers License number in their databanks!”

“What's a Drivers License?”

“Oh...shit. You know I never thought that you guys wouldn't really get that. Um..well you had to get approval from the State to be able to drive all these cars and shit you see all over the place. Didn't Daisy or Ham ever say anythin' about it?”

“Nah, you know I don't think it ever came up really. But approval? You had to ask permission to go places?”

“No, nothing like that...but driving was dangerous shit back then. You're in control of a ton of steel with a nuclear reactor at the center of it. People would get loaded and go drivin' and crash and take out everything in a 50 ft. radius. I'm not surprised that with everything else the government banned that was still allowed.”

“Man shit really was fucked up back then. Well...maybe not as fucked as it is now, but at least we don't have the Man tellin' us what to do.”

“Speak for yourself...you were the Man not too long ago.” she jabbed.

“Yeah but in Goodneighbor you looke after yourself. Live on your own terms. That's what the whole fuckin' thing is all about. Not everyone could get used to it but no one ever said they had to stay.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better I like Goodneighbor a hell of a lot more than DC. Seems like its in good hands with your crew.” she grinned. Hancock felt the blood rush into this face and smiled back.

County Crossing was almost within eye sight. The skys had started to grey and before long a steady rain had started to fall before the outline of a few shacks emerged from over the embankment from the road. Chell waived at the woman standing at the guard tower. 

“And now for the fun part,” she turned to Hancock and smiled weakly. “I’m gonna get checked in with them and get a run down of what needs to be done. Feel like gettin’ your hands dirty and building some walls?” she asked as they ducked under an awning of one of the southern structures. 

“Be glad to. You do your thing…I’ll keep watch.” He said, the watched her stride across the field towards a group of farmers.  
 _Too open. He thought. Great place for an ambush…no wonder they’re gettin’ hammered here._

He shoved his hand in his coat pocket for another hit of Jet while he watched Chell walk the perimeter with an elderly man in a dirty hat. He didn’t need to hear the conversation; he could tell just by the way these men and women looked at her with such deference and that warmth that just came from her…he felt another flutter in his gut. It was like she didn't even notice the pouring rain; she stayed focused on her escort like there were no other cares in the world.   
_No, John…  
But this is different…._

After about half an hour Chell had clasped the man’s arm and gripped his shoulder. Her face was sullen as she walked back over to Hancock. 

“This isn’t great.” She sighed and pulled a soggy pack of smokes out of her breast pocket. “The best we’re gonna be able to do is junk fencing which’ll keep some intruders off, but forget it if they’ve got flamers or molotov’s.”

“How long do you think’ll take to get it up?”

“I talked with Ben, he’s that real old guy I met with first. He says he doesn’t mind if the younger folk take a day or two off the field in order to get the posts dug and everything up. If I had to guess though I’d say 3 maybe 4 days total.”

After the rain subsided they worked until midnight along with a few of the sturdier farmhands who lived there. At the end of the day they sat by the fire; Chell winced as she gripped her left shoulder and rotated it. She cursed her old wounds screaming under the excess strain she endured.

“Old war wound?” he asked as she let out the slightest of whimpers.

“Yeah, real old war wound. First time I ever got shot was in Anchorage, did I ever tell you that?”

He shook his head, “Nah don’t think so. What happened?”

“I was super green yet…just pulled out of college. They were runnin’ short on meat to throw up against the Chinese so they started recruitin’ from the usual spots. Since I had a sister and other family they thought I was a good candidate. So anyway…there I am, stuck in the muddiest ditch you can think of and my commanding officer ordered us to volley a few rounds across one of the fields so another specialized team could cross it. Got hit the minute I stood up, the fucks. Tore right through my shoulder. I went to the Med-Tent and they reconstructed the joint. In time I got better but it still always bothers me when it rains. This weather fuckin’ sucks.”

It started to dawn on Hancock the magnitude of events that Chell had been through in such a short amount of perceived time.

“So, I think I have this straight…..you went to school, then they made you go to war, then you had a kid and they stuck you in a Vault. Then they killed your husband and took your kid and you wake up here in this time. Then you try to find your kid and find out about the fuckin’ Institute. In the mean time, you’re putting the Commonwealth back together with little more than Jet and elbow grease and all this time no one’s asked you how you’re holdin’ up in all this?”

“When you put it that way…yeah that’s the cut of it.” When put like that Chell realized just how much she’s endured up until this moment. She suddenly felt exhausted on the verge of sobbing, and turned from him to hide the distress that surfaced in her face.

“And then you got someone like me sendin’ you to Pickman’s…goin’ after Sinjin….shit.”

“Hey don't blame yourself. You didn’t know, how could you? You were just lookin’ out for Goodneighbor. I said before there’s no hard feelins.”

Hancock struggled with the sudden wave of guilt, realizing that he had put her in so much danger and she willingly went with it cause she genuinely did care. 

_When was the last time anyone actually gave a shit and did somethin’ about it, Johnny?_

“Well let me be the first to tell you, from now on I hope you never feel like you’re alone doin’ this. We’re equals, we do this shit together. I got your back.”

She stared at the Ghoul in semi disbelief. For once, there was no ulterior motive; he wasn’t expecting her to be the savior of the Minutemen, or to go kill Gunners to avoid debts, or to help close centuries old murder cases, or help the Railroad shuttle escaped Synths out of the Commonwealth, or to expand the Brotherhood’s empire…he was just a guy who cared and wanted to make sure she was safe in the face of it all.

“I don’t think you realize what that means to hear someone say that, John. You’re not, like, pulling my chain here right? Usually most people only tell me this because they need somethin’ from me…so, you’re not settin’ me up for another job or nothin’, right?”

He moved closer to her, “Nothin’ like that at all. You’re doin’ an awful lot for people out here, but someone’s gotta remind you to take care of yourself. Otherwise what good are ya?” he laughed, pulling a soft punch in her opposite shoulder. “There, now you match on both sides.”

“Ass.” She giggled

 

They spent a few days camping outside while they built as much as they could with their limited resources. Chell was impressed how involved Hancock was in the process of it all; digging trenches and post holes, and lifting the reinforced wall panels. During the day they didn’t talk much, only about what needed to be done next. On their last day there, Chell had broken out some Bobrov’s Best and passed the bottle around. Soon enough the adults of the settlement were drunk and singing old drinking songs their families had passed down. She didn’t recognize any that were from her time, but she tried her best all the same and laughed. When their rounds ended she stood and offered one of her own. It was an old song from the early turn of the millenium, one her Grandmother had taught her, and she did her best to remember what she could in the state she was in. After she could sing all she could the group of them raised their glasses high and toasted; Hancock grinned and whistled. As she tumbled back to her seat next to him laughing he stared at her. 

“Hey that was pretty great. What language was that?”

“German. It was one of my Oma’s favorite drinking songs so I figured it would be good to share.”

“What does it mean?”

“Oh…something like, we stand together, we endure one another, we hold on to one another and no one holds us back…its about sticking together really but the story is about a shark that cries but no one can see its tears because it lives in the ocean. I guess the shark is meant to be like a metaphor for something…I dunno.”

“That’s…random, heh. You know...you’ve a really nice voice. You should come sing at the Rail sometime.”

“Ah c’mon Johnny you sound like yer gettin’ mushy on me,” she teased good naturedly. 

“I’m serious though. Its nice to hear somethin’ different for a change.”

“Then maybe I’ll sing more for you sometime.” She grinned. 

_How did I get this lucky?_ he thought.

The night ground down into the wee hours before everyone retired for the night. Chell had passed out soundly on the ground next to him; he found he could barely pay attention to the settlers or their stories or the party itself. He covered her in his signature coat and brushed the hair out of her face. 

_Are we sure we didn’t leave Goodneighbor just for target practice?_ he asked himself.

And he started to admit to himself _No. There’s definitely a better reason than that._

 

In the morning, Chell woke up and felt her stomach heave. _Fuckin’ hell that god damn moonshine…_ she thought and dashed to the corner of the field to throw up. The camp was still silent; the settlers were still mostly asleep with the exception of their watchmen. Hancock hadn’t woken yet either. When she came back to the sleeping bag where she had slept she noticed his jacket that she had thrown off of herself so hastily, then looked to Hancock who had slept next to her all night. 

_No wonder people throw themselves at him._ she thought as she pulled the blanket up over his shoulders. 

He felt the blanket move and fluttered his eyelids open.

“Oh good, you’re waking up.” She said quietly. “How you feelin’?”

“Ugh…did you happen to catch the brand of the Brahmin that stamped my head last night?”

Chell chuckled. “At least you’re not sick to your stomach. What I wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee and an aspirin. C’mon…we should probably get a move on it.”

“Where we headed to next?”

“I guess we should head west; I know I promised Oberland Station I’d stop by but that’ll take weeks. I actually wanted to stop by my house and at Sanctuary to make some more chems. We’re gonna need caps and a lot of ‘em so its best we get to my place to start makin’ them in bulk.”

“What about the Sea? Don’t we gotta look for that guy?”

Chell twisted her lip and thought. “Yeah, that too. I’m just not sure what’s gonna be better protection. I ain’t got enough fusion cores to take a Power Armor suit the whole way down   
there and back. I’m not wasting a good suit on some wild goose chase. What if he isn’t even there?”

“Woah…slow down speedy…I’m barely functionin’ and you’re already talkin’ Power Armor.”

“Sorry…I had a Mentat a few minutes ago so that’s probably it. Here.” She tossed him the tin they had been sharing. “Get ready and let’s get movin’. I’ll give you 30 minutes to take a piss and shove some food in your mouth before we go.”

Their Northwesterly route took them outside of West Everett Estates. As they traveled through, Chell watched the Super Mutants that inhabited the Pre-War community with some concern. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not really in the mood to dance with those green assholes.” She said. 

“How you wanna do this then?”

“We could do it in the bushes I suppose… but then I’ll get thorns in my ass.” She joked. He was glad for her levity. “But in all seriousness, it’ll be nightfall if we go around and I don’t want to risk engaging them in the dark.” She turned from her perch and slumped behind a bolder pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Think think think….” She whispered. 

Hancock raised his voice in a alarm suddenly. “Shit, Chell I don’t think we gotta choice!” He flared, pulling his shotgun from his holster. A moment later he dodged the gaping maw of a mutant hound that had sniffed out their position.

“OH fuck!” She snarled and unholstered her rifle. “They’ll be here soon, I’ll try to pick them off as they come up the ridge.”

Hancock bashed the butt of his shotgun down hard between the eyes of the mutated quadruped, dazing it just long enough to pump its brain full of pellets with a point blank shot in its face. Chell clamored up the small hill and half way up a dead tree where she could hear the nest stir. She locked onto her first Greenskin through the scope of the Gauss Rifle inhaled sharply and fired! The Mutant’s head exploded like an overripe watermelon at a Pre War comedian’s stand up gig. 

“We’re gonna have company!” Hancock yelled from the base of the hill, followed by a blast and a screaming Mutant. 

Chell reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out a syringe of Psycho. Focusing on the sounds coming from Hancock’s direction, she jammed the needle deep into her thigh and pressed the plunger before tossing the spent hardware to the ground. Her heart thumped and her vision narrowed as 2 more Muties were charging up the hill sporting automatic weapons. 2 more cartridges were spent, 1 of them was downed instantly, the other it had barely grazed his malformed bicep. 

Fuck.

She jumped from the tree and raced towards Hancock, who had already started firing at the wounded brute. She could hear the Mutant’s bullets pinging off the chest plate she made him wear. She rushed the 7 foot tall creature and hurled herself at him, feet first. Her heel connected with its jaw and sent it off balance; Hancock took advantage and likewise tackled him, sending it to the ground before its face was chewed through from another round. 

“Nice work, General.” he wheezed as he grasped at the site where the Mutant had shot at his armor.

“Don’t congratulate me yet Johnny, there’s 8 more fuckin Mutants down there.” She snapped and reloaded. “We’re gonna do this dirty…”

Rising from the dirt, she swung her rifle behind her and switched out for her pistol. The main entrance had all the markers of Super Mutant activity: grotesque meatbags hung like rotting pendulums from the iron spikes at the main gate. A large pyre was built in the middle of the community with several charred remains of people still cooking atop. Everything smelled like rotten meat and blood. 

“We’re gonna clear each house, fuck up anything that moves, got it?” her orders were clear and he nodded in agreement. 

They cleared the first house; as they left several rounds of 5.56 ammo lodged themselves in the wood around them and splintered in large chunks. A guard had spotted them while on the roof of the adjacent building. Chell motioned for Hancock to peek out the front door to get his attention, while she sniped him from the new hole in the wall of the house. It wasn’t long after that the whole foundation shook and fire ripped through the inside, scorching the kitchen and singing Chell’s skin. 

That wasn’t a normal gun. 

“AH HAHAHA I FOUND YOU, STUPID HUMAN!” bellowed one of them. Chell surmised this one to be the leader. She popped her head above the countertop to see what had been fired. 

“Shit shit shit shit shit shit….” She chanted as she hustled to the door where Hancock was, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him out of the house. Another thunderous roar had shaken the building again, followed by another plume of hellfire. 

“What the fuck?!” Hancock whirled around, looking for the source. 

“He’s got a fuckin missile launcher!” she barked. Another Mutant Hound charged at them from the corner. Chell stopped it with a single bullet in its skull. 

“We gotta find a way to take that fucker out…”

“I can run this side here, make him chase me…” Hancock offered. It was extremely risky, and it was an idea that she was not at all comfortable with. 

“I cant ask you to do that, John.” She said, grabbing his hand. 

“Hey, this is me we’re talkin’ bout….” He smiled, and kissed her hand before pulling away abruptly. 

“Jesus, Hancock… get back here!” she seethed, watching him stride along the most intact wall of the home they were just in. He aimed and must have hit, based on the scream coming from the Abomination. She stayed low, moving as quickly as she could on the opposite side so she could get the best angle. Her target was the base of the neck, just above his shoulders. If she could hit that, he’d be down. She had to act quickly; the bastard was loading another missile up and John was just around that corner. She aimed but as she did a searing hot sensation tore through her collarbone and she screamed out loud. Another Mutant from across the street had shredded up the siding and ate into her arms and shoulders where the protection was minimal. Her adrenaline held her together and she managed to toss a frag grenade in the general direction of her adversary. She turned to focus on the giant asshole with the missile launcher and found that Hancock had pressed him head on in close quarters

Smart…he can’t reload

While the two of them fought ferociously, Chell tried to aim for the Mutants spinal cord, just hoping that it would be enough to drop him so she could regroup. Her aim was shaky at best and her vision was beginning to tunnel; Hancock locked face to face with the snarling, snapping jaws of the Greenskin. She panicked when the beast overpowered him and threw him to the ground. Chell fired her shot, but missed, wincing from the torn muscles in her shoulders and arms. It was effective enough to distract him however, just long enough for Hancock to pull his blade from his boot and plunge it through the Mutant’s neck. He didn’t wait for the thing to drop before he rushed to her side.

“Shit, Chell you’re bleeding a hell of a lot..” he said, rummaging through his pack for a precious Stimpak. 

“I’ll be alright…what about you? I thought for sure he was gonna tear your face off.”

“Well, most of its gone anyway,” he chuckled, “but I had it covered.” 

Hancock helped her gingerly out of her coat and curled his lip at the damage. The shrapnel ate through to the bone. He nodded to her and jammed it in the chewed muscle as Chell cried out in fresh agony.

“We gotta get you away from here. This Stimpak will help but you need time to heal, girl.”

“How many do you think are left?” 

He peered around the side of the house. He couldn’t see any from this angle but that meant nothing.

“Maybe if we run for it we can make the pond and across…”

She handed him her pistol, “Here, this has better range than yours. We run, we don’t stop okay?” 

“Solid plan, sister. You lead, that way if you fall I can catch you.”

She nodded and rose to her feet with some effort, pulling her coat back up around her as best she could. The pond was nearly 300 yards from their current position, who knows how many Mutants stood between them and the water line. She grabbed 2 more frag grenades, pulled the pin on one and rushed the main road, sticking to the sides of the houses for additional cover. She heard growls from the home at the corner and tossed the grenade, not looking back to see if it was effective or not. Hancock caught up to her and grabbed her hand; the two of them sprinted around the bend ducking incoming fire. The waterline was in sight, just a few more feet….

The air became superheated as a Mutant had tossed a Molotov Cocktail in their direction. 

“SHIT! JUMP!” Hancock yelled as he pulled her forward, protecting her from the brunt of the flames. 

She plunged into the brackish water, struggling to find the surface in the confusion of everything. She dared not surface, knowing they’d be shot at in the water. 

_Where’s John? Shit!_

Visibility was next to zero as she frantically grasped around. Air was running dangerously low. She could still hear the muffled ramblings of the Mutants above. They sounded confused, searching. 

They dont know where I am. Or where John is…..unless they got him….

Her heart sunk at this thought and her eyes stung. The only thing she could do was swim to the other side, away from death and bullets and stinking Super Mutants.

She emerged on the embankment with a hoarse gasp, coughing up a small mouthful of liquid. Her panicked eyes scanned the ridge, then across to where the former road had submerged into the pond. After a few moments of terror, he sputtered onto land about 10 feet from where she lay. 

“Oh shit, John….” she groaned and stumbled over to him. He clutched his side and coughed before rolling over to face her.

“Let’s not do that again.” he managed to choke out with a wink and a smile.

“Shhhhh…..” she silenced him. “I don’t think we’re clear here…”

She honed into a faint buzzing sound coming from the far end of the ruined house that lay on the property. She motioned to Hancock for her pistol, taking it in her left, non-dominant hand. Hancock insisted on taking a lead, arguing if he got up close he would do more damage. She tightened her mouth at the idea but eventually agreed. They slipped past the deck and crept up on a small swarm of Bloodbugs that were feeding on a week old Brahmin carcass. Hancock wasted no time, striding over and blasted two shells off right away. Chell used the side of the building to keep her steady and picked off the other 3. They cleared the outside of the home, moving cautiously inward where they found 3 more on the upper floor.

“Do you see anymore?” he asked.

“No, I think we’re good. I doubt we’ll be able to pull that carcass out of here though. Those mosquitoes on steroids’ll be back before long.”

“What if we cut it up, throw it in the water?” he suggested.

“Yeah that’ll should work actually.” She agreed, but as she moved forward to start, he placed a firm hand on her good shoulder.

“You need to rest, sister. I can’t in good conscious let you fuck that shoulder up anymore than it is.”

She opened her mouth in protest but he moved closer, imploring her with his eyes. She was suddenly very aware that they were both soaked to the bone from the pond and night was coming up fast. 

“Alright, but don’t go overboard. I thought I saw a cooking station inside so hurry up. I’ll get things started inside.” She resigned. 

She smiled weakly and turned to check out the inside of the broken house. She nudged the carcasses of the bloodbugs to the back corner of the room. Someone apparently had squatted here recently; there were a few boxes of Dandy Apples and Fancy Lads in the cupboards still and there was in fact a cooking station set up by the front door. 

This could’ve been a nice house once. 

Once she found enough dry wood and started a fire, she dug through the wet bag and pulled out a few chunks of wrapped Brahmin meat and threw it onto the open grate of the grill. Out front, she could hear Hancock cursing the rotting carcass along with deep splooshes as he tossed the rancid flesh far from where they were. A few minutes longer he came stomping in, the flannel long sleeve draped across his arm and blood splattered all over the shirt beneath . 

“Jesus, John…” she marked as she reached for his filthy bloodstained clothes. 

“Well at least whatever it is you’re cookin’ smells good. I need to….I dunno, burn everything I’m wearin’ right now.” He laughed. 

“I actually happen to have some Abraxo with me, so if you wanna get your clothes clean help yourself,” she offered. 

“Didn’t know you wanted me out of my pants so soon.” He grinned. Chell turned scarlet at his insinuation. 

“Aww did I embarrass you again? You always turn that exact shade of red whenever we talk about being naked…” he laughed harder.

“Its not that!” she said indignantly, flinging the box towards him. 

“Alright, alright….I’ll stop. I’ll get changed outside, then when I come back we’re celebratin’ not dyin’.” The grin got wider as he jiggled his chem bag. 

“Thought you’d never ask!” she said in relief. Her head had been throbbing with need for strong drink and the welcoming thrum of Jet. “I've got other clothes if you wanna wear them while that's dryin' then.” 

Chell tossed the wad of clothing in his direction, then turned to find dry clothes of her own deep in the recesses of her bag. The stimpak had almost finished its job mending the muscle back into shape, and soon the searing pain was no more than a dull throb. She pulled the torn tanktop off and examined it briefly before tossing it aside completely as unusable. She was fortunate that there was a spare, but delayed; instead relishing in the warmth of the fire on her bare skin. This is what she had wanted, just a moment to breathe, to feel. In the back, Hancock peeled off his own rank clothing, liberally sprinkling the powered detergent onto his stained pants. 

Well this must look odd, he considered, The Mayor of Goodneighbor is pantsless and doin’ his own laundry in a pond. 

He saw the flicker of the firelight from the window, wondering if it was safe to re-enter. He pulled the spare pants and shirt on and gathered the rest of the wet mess before heading in. He stopped at the threshold and watched her; she sat on top of the torn sleeping bag that had been left before, back to the open door in front of the fire. He noted how scarred her skin actually was; skin that had been damaged well before stimpaks could repair. He wondered how many of those were caused by war.

“Ahem…” he knocked softly, causing her to jump

“Shit, Hancock…sorry, I must have zoned out there…” she hastily pulled her top on, although it didn’t do much good with the fabric being so thin. “Dinner’s just about done, you can grab it whenever you want.” She gestured. 

He nodded and went upstairs, grabbing a second bag and dragged it down stairs next to hers. She had already gotten a head start on the libations rolling a couple of joints from the dried Hubflowers she habitually picked along her travels. His black eyes scanned the interior of her duffle bag briefly before catching a glint of plastic from a holotape. He could barely make it out; the holotape was ancient but the words ‘Hi Honey’ were written across in faded ink. He swallowed, looking at her before starting off into the fire. 

She passed him a thick blunt but noted his forlorn expression. “Hey, you alright? Looks like someone shot your puppy…”

“Ah I’m fine.” He lied. “I’m better than fine. Thanks for the threads, by the way…”

“Don’t mention it. But you know, you’re kinda terrible at lying. If we’re gonna be traveling you can be honest with me, ya know.”

He sighed. Why am I doing this?

“Well…its just that I saw that holotape…its from your husband, right?”

She stopped rolling for a moment, wondering why he was upset by it. “Yeah, its from him.” She looked up at him, “what about it?”

“Its…ah, nothing it's stupid. Its nothing really.” He said shortly. Gah, I’m such an idiot, why did I even mention it…

“Its not stupid. I don’t know you to be a man that gets this worked up over something like this….please, John, tell me what you’re thinkin.”

“It just got me thinkin about a lot of stuff that happened in my life…especially with, well, significant others. I was with someone once. She and I lived in Goodneighbor in the early days, before I changed. We both worked for the lowlife that called himself Mayor, Vic. He ran a gang not too different from the Triggermen but they were a lot more violent. We did Vic’s dirty work; we didn’t have anything to our names and Vic treated us like shit. But we had each other for a while it was tolerable. She had a bit of a mean streak and in hindsight, I think she kinda liked being a goon…but one night, the worst night…Vic beat a good friend of mine to death in front of everyone. I felt sick watchin it but I couldn’t do nothin about it. I was powerless…and I just let it happen. I was so pissed off and miserable and I just wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened so I went lookin to get dangerously high. I don’t think I wanted to survive, to be honest. . Man, let me tell ya, I got fucked nice an’ proper that night….best high of my life up until that point. When I woke up, I was in the Statehouse basement. I might have still been high…but it was like it was a sign. There was John Hancock’s clothes and they spoke to me. From then on out I stopped being me and I was reborn as John Hancock…America’s original hoodlum. I managed to get the other drifters, Fahrenheit included, to overthrow Vic’s guys. I threw Vic over the balcony with a noose around his neck that night and became the impromptu Mayor. I never asked for it though, never really wanted to be anyone in charge. They all looked up to me and in those early days it was nice then…me and her were together, even thought about maybe starting a family. But then she got really distant once my skin started to get splotchy and damaged when I started changin'. I was full Ghoul in 3 years. She wouldn’t come near me, and eventually left me for some dickhead in Diamond City. You can imagine how pissed off Fahr was…she was only 12 when I took down Vic but she already had more balls than half the guys I had with me. As for relationships with anyone after that, I told myself that a bit of fluff was alright, but I couldn’t let myself get that involved again. Bein’ out here with you though…helpin people and stuff…it means a lot to me, ya know?”

“Im glad you think so” she smiled, “I do know how you feel though, about relationships and stuff…. Nate and I met as I was starting college. At first, yeah it was great. I was in love and he was in love and we got on alright. We moved to Boston to be closer to school then I got enlisted. He got some macho complex because he was still trying to get into CIT. He didn’t think it was “appropriate” that his fiance went into the military while he was still in school. When I went to Anchorage, he was furious…went and joined up himself then. After my first tour he was….different. My first night back he got so black out drunk. We fucked then I guess I got pregnant. We fought all the time, then I got shipped out again. I swear, I never saw him happier than the day I left. I got discharged after I started puking in the middle of the barracks, was about 4 months pregnant then. I came home, but then he was shipped out; came back in January after it was over. Shaun was born that April and things seemed a little better. He was happy that Shaun was here and it seemed like we could work somethings out. He said he was really trying anyway. It was ok for a few months; we even got approved for a spot in the Vault north of Sanctuary Hills. They must’ve known it was comin’ because seriously, like 5 minutes after I talked to the salesman that’s when New York and Pennsylvania were hit. I couldn’t breathe….all of my family was there, about an hour North of Philly. All of them were gone. Then the sirens started blaring and I remember Nate grabbing Shaun and we ran for the Vault. When I came out for the first time and started searching for Shaun, everyone needed help. No one had anywhere to go, they were all like lost children. Everyone had been haunted by loss, barely hanging on by a thread. I feel for the first time in my life I can actually change not only myself, but literally everything around me. John, I wasn’t happy being me either and sometimes you need to reinvent yourself to move forward. Your girl treated you like garbage and she’s a damn fool in my eyes. Nate was too. But we can’t let our pasts hold us back from everything that we can be. You did right by Goodneighbor and avenged your friends’ death. Can’t ask much more than that.”

He weighed what she said. “Then here’s to the new us..” he raised his bottle of vodka before pulling deeply from it. 

_She could be the real deal here….I’m in trouble_

She smiled again before springing to her feet and striding across the room towards the chem bag. He couldn’t help but stare; she was barely dressed after all in a thin tank and her undies. She could feel his eyes on her, filling her with warmth. 

“Here…” she handed him the bag. “I’m thinkin’ Med-X tonight.”

“You read my mind, doll.”

She seated herself beside him, curling into her knees as she watched him prep the syringe. He went to hand the ready needle to her, but she only offered her own wrist to him. 

“I trust you.” She said softly, simply.

Those three little words hit him like a sack of cement. He could almost feel the palpitation in his chest.  
 _Fuck, I am in trouble._

He gingerly took her arm, gently sliding his fingers down her skin the inside crook of her elbow gently causing goosebumps to prickle up. She giggled like teenager, then hissed as the needle slid expertly into her arm. She looked up at his face as he slowly pressed the plunger and released the opiate into her bloodstream.  
 _Chell, don’t fall…..  
But…_

He looked up at her with a cocked eyebrow, staring into her eyes as the pupils dilated wide. She bit her lip, wanting to sink deeper into him.

“How’s that?” he said softly.

“Niiiiicce” her word elongated as if it were air escaping a tire from slow leak.

“Heh heh, good. I’ll be there with you soon…” he gently lowered her arm, folding it down into her lap. His eyes casually roamed across her body, wishing it could be his hands…or better yet….

He coughed, trying his best to shake himself from the reverie and focused on his own dose, which came forthright. 

“Um, I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping that we could put the sleeping bags together, ya know…I really liked having you close the other night and I wouldn’t mind if we, you 

know..slept close like that.” She hinted. 

He tilted his head, not sure if he heard her correctly but the look on her face confirmed that she really did want to sleep next to him again.

“I am so glad you said so. I was thinkin the same, sister.”

And so the General of the Minutemen dragged her bag next to his and flopped heavily down onto it, exhausted from the fight and the heavy conversation and the chems. They laid next to each other until she grabbed his arm again and tucked it under her head. It wasn’t long after that she was softly snoring next to him while he counted all the cracks and holes in the ceiling.


	9. Impure Thoughts

_“Chell…”_

_She twitched at the sound. The lazy buzz of a housefly bounced off the window to her irritation._

_“Chell, get up. Shaun’s crying….”_

_She groaned and opened her eyes. Nate sat at the bottom edge of the bed._

_“You know you can go to him too.” She suggested._

_“You have to save him though.”_

_“What are you talking about?” her tone became more serious._

_Nate bent his head and held it in his hands. “Chell you don’t understand. You have to save Shaun. I can’t go.”_

_Chell sat up abruptly in bed and crept to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. His face was frosted over; the bullet hole was sickeningly black in the  
upper left part of his forehead. For some reason, this didn’t upset her, like this was how he always looked. _

_“Nate, I can’t do this alone.”_

_“You’re stronger than you realize. And besides, you’re not alone….he’s going to help you find Shaun.”_

_“Who?”_

_His mouth moved but no words came out. She repeated her questions and his face had started to melt away, lips still moving._

_“NATE! WHO?”_

_A terrible rushing filled her ears, drowning out everything. He smiled and his eyes turned black. The rushing was deafening and the room filled with that hideous light, the fire crashed through the windows of their home. As her skin burned, she heard his word:_

_“Sunshine.”_

Chell woke abruptly in a cold sweat. Hancock was laying next to her asleep with his coat draped across the two of them. She slipped out quietly, reaching for her cigarettes before creeping out to the front porch overlooking the pond. She sat at the edge of the splintering deck and dangled her feet into the water, looking dazed and still somewhat in her sleepy trance. 

_What does Sunshine mean? Why does it keep coming up?_

She reached down, pooling some of the water in her palm and splashing her face. She could sense that the seasons would change not long from now and the thought seized her with dread anew. She recalled that first winter outside the Vault. The bitterness of the wind had forced her to retreat back to it during January. Although it didn’t snow, the wind cut through her skin like a garrote and stung her eyes. She wondered if it would snow this year; Mama Murphy had said that each year grew worse. During those months after she met with Preston’s group, she learned that after the bombs fell a nuclear winter consumed much of the world for the first 20 years. The snow contained extremely irradiated heavy metals and most of the vegetation had died. After time, though, life found a foothold and simple grasses and shrubs started dotting the landscape. This gave way to small trees and flowers, then to fruits and vegetables. Soon enough the climate adapted once mankind was no longer filling it full of carbon. The seasons balanced but still was too unstable for snow. Mama Murphy said she saw with the Sight a great storm of ice and snow was coming, and that Chell herself would bring it with her. At the time Chell just thought that it symbolized her emergence from the Vault but could not shake the feeling that perhaps she may yet be right about this foretold storm. 

_I am the oncoming storm_

She heard a sniffle from behind her and she turned to the source. Hancock had been leaning the doorway.

“You alright? I woke up and you weren’t there.”

She sniffled, “Yeah. I’m fine…I just have bad dreams.”

“About Nate?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence spoke volumes enough. 

“You talk in your sleep I’ve noticed. You gotta lot of guilt you seem to be carrying.”

“Can you blame me?”

“Hey sister no judgments here…I just hope you’re holdin’ up alright.”

She picked herself up from the edge of the deck. “Yeah, I’m good. Its still early as shit though, we don’t have to get moving for another few hours. I think its your turn to make food.” She smirked. 

“I ain’t much of a cook, ya know. I’ll give it a try though, whatcha got in your bag?”

“I think there’s some Mole Rat chunks I have wrapped up and maybe some veggies. Should be enough for a stew.”

“Let’s just hope I don’t burn the house down.”

The food was good enough, she figured, given the lack of spices or herbs she had been so accustomed to in her old life. It was cooler this late August morning, sparking her thoughts towards her visions of ice and snow. 

_The Glowing Seas is still so far away yet._

Hancock hoisted the duffle bag across his shoulders and loitered outside the door out front. Chell entered the co-ordinates into her PipBoy to store for future use.

“This place would be good to settle on. I’ll have to talk to Preston about sending a broadcast over Radio Freedom.”

“Not a bad idea. Aside from the Super Mutants over across the pond it’d be real cozy.”

She laughed, “I don’t think I’d ever hear the word ‘cozy’ come outta your mouth, John.”

“And what would you like to hear, Chell? I bet I could say a few things that you’d never expect.” He grinned. 

Chell turned beet red but recovered, “I’m sure you could…but I bet I could give you a run for your money.”

Hancock turned and walked slowly until he was inches from her. “Would you, now? I’ll be holdin’ ya to that, you know.” he said as the inkwells of his eyes darted between her baby blues and her lips. 

Chell’s heart was in her ears beating so hard she couldn’t even hear her own response. _Why did I say anything?_

“How about we get movin’ there, Romeo…” she playfully shoved at his shoulder. He exaggerated the blow and stumbled backwards, arms flailing. She shook her head and smiled before climbing up the western embankment. 

“Hey, play some of your music again.” He requested. “DC Radio’s ok, but you get tired of hearing the same 15 songs all day everyday. I still can’t believe that not more survived.”

She popped in her ancient mix after digging around in her pockets. The speaker crackled and a woman's crooning voice filled the silence. Chell swayed back and forth to it, chiming in during the chorus however barely audible.

He reached for her hand, pulling her in a twirl into his body. “C'mon and dance with me. What good's the end of the world if you can't dance?”

She grinned and twirled away, still holding his hand before pulling back in. They waltzed in time with the song and laughed when they stumbled around. He pulled her close, resting his hand on the small of her back and swayed. Emboldened by his affection, her voice gathered a little bit of strength as she continued to sing along:

“...your heart is desperately trying to find you... why.. its why you do it.... I cant believe that someone like you surrenders every element of you.... and you abuse it...so someone you love, you really love, may never see the wonderful in you....”

“You got a helluva voice, Chell.” he said softly, pulling back to look at her. 

“You're just sayin' that.” she chuckled. The silly grin on his face became slightly more serious as they stared at each other in their closeness; the attraction was undeniable now.  
He leaned in fixated on her lips. His heart was pounding in his chest and roaring into his ears; Chell felt her breath catch in her excitement....

….except when she lost her footing on the embankment she was standing on. She tumbled down the small hill as the dead leaves crunched under her. She hollered, not in pain but more of surprise when she finally stopped sliding. Hancock rushed down after her.

“Shit..you ok? Didn't break nothin' I hope?”

Her laughter rang silver off the trees. “Hah! Yeah, I'm fine. Just scrapes. Who put that rock there, anyway?”

He leaned in with his hand held out and began to speak but was silenced with a quick gesture.

“Shh...I don't think we're alone here..” 

Hancock cocked his head, turning to catch what she had heard. It definitely sounded like people, a group of 10 at least. 

“Sounds like a hunting party. We're outnumbered .” he said as he pulled his shotgun and readied it. 

“Hold up though…I don’t think they’re Raiders or Gunners.” She said guardedly. As they followed the sounds they came upon high concrete walls topped with barb wire dotted with a few turrets. But unlike most Raider camps they weren’t activating upon their arrival. 

“Doesn't seem hostile..” she noted. 

“Wonder what they’re tryin’ to keep out?” he said wearily. They rounded the corner to the front entrance which overlooked the bay. A skinny man with graying hair wearing a leather jacket was leaning back in his chair watching the two with guarded interest casting particularly damning glances at Hancock. Chell went to the large steel doors and tried to pull them open, but to no avail.

“First time to Covenant?” the old man spoke at Chell.

“Yeah, what is this place? Can we go in?”

“Well, of course..but I’ll have to ask your friend to wait outside. We welcome all humans to our prestigious little community! Please, step on over into my office and we can go over a few questions... a test, if you will, before I give you the tour.”

Hancock glared at the man in the jacket, shifted his eyes towards Chell to see if she caught his displeasure. Chell furrowed her brow at the old man.

“Hey buddy, he’s with me….where I go, he goes too. I’ll answer your questions but he’s comin' in with me.” She said testily.

He grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. “A-alright, fine. Please, have a seat.”

Hancock grabbed her arm hard as she started to walk towards the desk and scowled. “What kind of town has a test to get inside? I don’t like this, Chell, somethin' ain’t right here…”

“I know how you feel.” She rested her hand between his shoulders, stroking lightly. “Let's just check it out, alright? I'm sure it's nothin'.”

He growled under his breath, “Well, I ain’t happy bout this. Let’s make it quick, right?“

The corners of her mouth went taut, “Sure. Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”

She sat in the chair across from the man at a desk just outside the compound. He had a stack of papers filed neatly in the back, previous applications for entry she guessed.

“Alright Miss…..?”

“Fixer. General Fixer of the Minutemen.”

“Right. Alright Fixer, this test is a general application for entry into Covenant. Every visitor must take it and pass.”

“What happens if I fail? Why do you even make people take this?”

“Well my dear the reason is that we do have to determine if our visitors are psychologically competent, helps us filter out any….undesirables that might try to lie to us about the nature of their visit. Its part of security protocol.” The old man’s face went to Hancock as he explained this but Chell started to understand. She had been around the Commonwealth to pick up on enough rhetoric to know what he was getting at.

“What kind of 'undesirables' are you talking about?” She asked, following his gaze to Hancock, then back to him. “I've run across more human scumbags than Ghouls...surely you can't mean them.” 

“I..well, just the same. We test everyone. We only want quality patrons.” The man stammered.

_Something's really fucked up here. He's not telling me something._

“Alright, get on with your test then. Find out just how quality I can be.” She sat back, frowning. “I never caught your name, by the way…”

“I-its Swanson, Miss Fixer. Now, shall we begin?”

“I suppose so, Swanson. Have at it.”

“Alright. First question: You are approached by a Scientist who yells “I’m going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!” What is your response?”

“I’d tell him, “Up yours too, buddy!”

Swanson jotted her answer on his clipboard. “Next question: While working as an intern at a Clinic a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate but the doctor has stepped out. What do you do?”

“Id try to treat my patient as best as I could, I’d be responsible for him of course.”

“Hmm..ok next question: You discover a young child lost in the lower levels of a Vault. Hes hungry and scared but it appears hes in possession of stolen property. What do you do?”

Chell felt her breath catch in a sudden flashback to the Memory Den when she saw Shaun with Kellogg. “I’d give him a hug and tell him he’s gonna be ok.”

“Mmm hmm.. great. Next question: Congratulations! You made the baseball team! Which position do you prefer to play?

“I’ve always been partial to playing Catcher, myself.”

“Your Grandmother invites you to tea but she surprises you by handing you a pistol and asks you to kill her neighbor. What do you do?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?!”

“Just answer, please…”

“Fine….I guess I’d ask her for give me a bigger fuckin’ gun so I don’t miss.” She answered cockily. Hancock chuckled softly from behind the wall.

“Hmmm. Old Mr. Abernathy locked himself in his room again and you’ve been asked to get him out. How do you proceed?”

“Easy, I’d just pick the lock.”

“Okay…we’re almost done. You’ve been exposed to radiation and you now have a mutated hand growing out of your body. What is the best course of treatment?”

She took a moment, wanting to joke how she already was mutating, but decided against it since it was obvious these people had strong prejudices. “I’d just remove it with a lazer or just cut it off…”

“Question 8: Someone has given you a Grognak the Barbarian comic book issue #1. You want it. What’s the best way to get it?”

“Oh man I love comics…I would trade him with one of my own more valuable things for it.”

“You decide to play a prank on your father. You enter his private bathroom when no one is looking. What do you do?”

“HAHA this reminds me of the time I put a firecracker in his toilet. You should’ve seen the look on his face!!” She laughed.

Swanson tallied up the answers and after some time and much humming and hawing he looked up at her. “Well, I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone test quite like you before, but you passed! You and your…friend can enter. Penny runs the general store and we have a doctor as well.” The concern in his face melted as if a switch had flipped and an unnatural smile now took its place. 

She stood without comment, scowling at her interviewer. She turned from her chair and made a grand gesture of taking Hancock’s arm in hers, marching straight through the steel blue doors. 

Hancock’s mouth gaped open. All the houses were in near pristine condition, save for some flaking paint off the sides. No broken glass, no holes in the roofs, no garbage. “Would you look at that…” he awed.

“This can't be possible...” Chell murmured.

He looked at her, hoping that she wasn’t upset by the nostalgia. “Hey.” he stopped and gently held her by the shoulder. “You alright?”

She smiled and squeezed his arm a little tighter. “Yeah I’m okay, John. Thanks.”

As they passed a few of the settlers, she noted a severe defect in their character; at first they seemed welcoming and friendly until they saw Hancock on her arm. The air then shifted to nervousness and most times they were blown off callously. It didn't take a nuclear physicist to tell that their attitudes were carefully crafted lies. The few people she attempted to speak to were so over enthusiastic about their _glorious_ life they lived here that Chell could feel her skin crawl.

“This reminds me of the Stepford Wives.” she mentioned, knowing her partner would have little idea what she was talking about.

“Whatever it is, I want what these people are smokin'” he whispered and she snorted in laughter, trying desperately to hold it in.

Chell tried speaking to a few more of the residents but quickly grew tired of the over the top cheeriness. She spotted a caravan guard hurrying between a few people on the other side.

“Hey I think I know that guy….I’ve seen him at Bunker Hill before.” She said. “He’s one of Stockton’s if I remember correctly.”

The Guard stopped once he saw the odd looking couple and walked briskly to them. 

“Oh thank the Gods, outsiders…hey could I ask you for a little help? You haven’t seen any recent caravans comin’ through here, have you?

“No, sorry brother. We’re just passin’ through.” Hancock said, relieved that there was at least one other person who would talk to him. 

”Who’s missing?” Chell asked.

He paused with an air of recognition on his face. “I think I met you once a few months ago actually. I’m Caravan Master for Old Man Stockton, name’s Dan…It's about one of our more productive caravans, they went missing along with his daughter, Amelia who was with them. I can’t get a straight answer out of any of these people here. Comin' through here is one of their regular stops but these people insist no one was through. There’s more to this…I can’t prove it though. Everyone around here seems off their fuckin' rocker and  
won’t talk.”

Chell bristled. “This place gets more fucked up the longer we stay.”she murmured to Hancock before turning back to the road weary man. “Dan, how can we help you out? We just got here but I’ve worked with Stockton before. Be glad to help 'im out if we can.”

“Yeah, well thanks for the offer. I don’t know if you can get any of these fools to talk but there’s gotta be something left of the caravan. I’ll keep trying but let me know if you find anything we can go on.” Dan said exasperatedly. He turned to interrogate another settler; Chell turned to Hancock staying close to him.

“Somethings definitely up. Stockton's a courier for the Railroad. Gets Synths we rescue out of the Commonwealth. You don't think these people are with the Institute?”

Hancock scanned the happy people seemingly living their lives with smiles on their faces. “I’m not sure. The MO fits pretty well though. Lets see what we can do…well what you can do. I have a feeling that I won't be much help talkin' to these assholes.”

“For what its worth, I’m glad you’re with me.” She said affectionately. 

Hancock was taken slightly by surprise by the sudden sweetness of her words. “Hey, me too..” He smiled for the first time since setting foot in the place.

“C'mon,” She said to him. “Let's check the road outside…”

They exited the doors and walked about half a mile before Hancock spotted a body in the road. “Hey hold up….” He said as he pulled his shotgun from his sling. Chell followed suit and drew her revolver. There were 3 bodies, all shot close range plus their Pack Brahmin. They’d been there for a few days based on the smell and the rate of decay from what Chell could guess. She rolled one of the bloated corpses over nearly gagging at the sight of thousands of maggots happily eating away the man’s mucus membranes and eyes. She searched his pack and found a carton of Deezer’s Lemonade.

“Hey John, check it. Wasn't that busted Mr. Handy tryin' to push this shit on us inside?” She said as she tossed the crushed container his way.

His withered lips tightened to a sharp line as he looked at her with concern. 

“Lets head back. Now that we have some evidence we might be able to get some answers.” She could feel the anger start to bubble. 

Upon their return everyone was still cheerful, but they were now actively avoiding her eye contact. She talked to as many people as she could. At first she tried to round about approach, not trying to spook them into silence. As that plan failed, she took them on more directly but was met with the same answers. No one even seemed bothered that she was looking for a missing person, nor were they even concerned that she was questioning them. When presented with evidence from the caravan, they still all denied having ever seen a caravan recently and insisted that they must have gotten it from somewhere else. Dusk was approaching and they hadn’t gotten any further than when they first came. 

“I don’t get it, John.” She said as she sat on the bench next to him, lighting a cigarette. “It seems…scripted. Someone is telling all these people to say the same thing. I have an idea, but its kinda risky…I don’t know how you’d feel about it…”

Hancock pinched the cigarette from her lips to take a drag of his own. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, that building over there, from what I understand, is their makeshift “police/security” office. Its locked solid though but its got an awful lot of traffic for such a “perfect” community, right? Its really weird though because who would they detain? Who’d be locked in there?”

Hancock handed the cig back to her and leaned back on the bench, throwing his arm around her shoulder. “Sounds dicey. But then again, can't hurt to poke around. I’ll keep an eye out here….hang out with that doofy Mr. Handy…anyone comes near I'm sure I can provide a good distraction.” 

She turned to him and smiled, although weakly. “I know you weren’t the biggest fan of me doin' this, or bein' here, but I hope you know how much it means to me that you’re stickin' with me.”

“C’mon, this beats ‘Mayoral Duties’ any day of the week. These people can suck my wrinkled cock but this is way more exciting than gettin' high and reading Tolstoy for the 1,000th time.”

“Is it really wrinkled?” she asked half joking.

“Yeah you wanna see?” he counter-offered. “We could sneak round the back and I’d show you.” 

“Thanks maybe another time though,” She chuckled and patted his thigh as she stood up to stretch her back. He couldn’t help himself and his gaze fell on to her bottom.  
_This is getting ridiculous._ He thought. _Gods, I want her._

She left her partner and the bench and took up position on the chair next to the door. She pretended to be occupied on her PipBoy, looking up occasionally to wish this person or that a good night. Jacob Orden, the town’s mayor, was the last one to leave. He tipped his hat to her as he left and the door slowly started to swing shut. Chell had palmed a small rock and tossed it near the door frame to keep the door from closing completely. She watched the rotund man waddle down the path to his home nearest the gate and waited for Covenant to go quiet. Once she was certain, she stood up and nodded to Hancock, who took his position near the Mr. Handy named Deezer who offered him some of his Lemonade.  
Once she was certain all the settlers were in their respective homes for the night, she slipped inside and examined the room. The place was eerily stagnant. Her eyes scanned several folders and leaflets that were left on the table she went through drawers looking for anything that could clue her in. She spotted the terminal at the far side of the room. It was password protected, but nothing that would hold her back for very long. After a few minutes she was able to crack it and she read the log entries. There were several mentions of a Compound across the bay and a fair number of entries from a Doctor Chambers about their Synth Retention program. According to the logs, they were using the entry test as a way to tell if someone was suspected as a Synth, as she had suspected from the beginning. Upon failure they were then taken to the Compound. Some entries were extremely disturbing including but not limited to mentions of torture and disposal. Chell's eyes widened; if this place suspected Amelia of being a Synth then they most likely took her there and were probably torturing her.

When she exited the building, she found Hancock fighting off the bots attempt to give him more lemonade.

“Hey, John...” she called softly and approached, nodding towards the exit. Hancock quit his futile endeavor to procure any spirits from the Bots one track programming and took up to her side. They both strode quickly through the campus and out the double steel doors. Chell’s heart was racing and Hancock reached out to steady her.

“Jesus, Chell you look like someone knocked the wind outta ya.”

“John, these people…this is all a front. There’s a Compound on the other side of the lake they take people to. They torture them if they fail that test I took…to see if they’re a Synth!”

His eyes narrowed to slits and darted between her and the walls of the settlement. “Those motherfuckers…”he gritted his teeth and moved towards the doors again. Chell caught the sleeve of his jacket and held him back.

“No…not yet. We have to find Dan and find Amelia first. Then we come back guns blazin’. We can’t let these people keep doing this…not after everything we’re trying to do with the Railroad.”

“Jesus, shit this is a lot bigger than we thought, huh? I think Dan left for the night but he’ll probably be back in the morning. I ain’t stayin’ here, rather take my chances with the Bloatflies out there….”

“I agree, if I have to smile at Penny Fitzgerald one more time I’m gonna vomit before I knock her pretty teeth in. We’re not finding this place in the dark though. We gotta be patient; I’ll find somewhere to camp. I thought I saw a spot by the shoreline that was relatively free of garbage. We’ll come up with a plan.”

Neither one of them had a bedroll or sleeping bag so Hancock spread his jacket out on the ground while grumbling under his breath about getting it dirty. Chell swatted at him playfully and balled her jacket to make a cushion for their heads before huddling in close to him.

“Ya know, this is almost nice. Too bad all this shit is goin' on. It would be a nice place to set up a community.” She commented in the dark.

“Yeah, I supposed it's got its charm. Too quiet for my taste. Place needs a bar.”

“Hah yeah and I suppose it could use a few more girls, huh?”

“If you say so. I'm findin' out quality beats quantity any day of the week.”

Her mind raced for a second before she inhaled sharply. She knew that in the Commonwealth life was unbearably short. Any day could be her last; she would be damned if she couldn't at least speak her mind.

“Hey John?”

“Hm?” 

“Do you ever see yourself in another relationship, you know…after the last time?”

Hancock wasn't ready for this questioning, not while he was too sober to blame whatever answer poured out of his mouth. He could feel his hands get clammy. “I…I dunno. Maybe. I guess it depends on who with. Why? What about you?"

She turned and propped herself up on one arm, resting her temple against the butt of her palm. “Heh, pretty much the same here. I was just curious really...since you know, everyone's enamored with you. I'm sure someone back in Goodneighbor is missin' you.”

“Nah, trust me. I love Goodneighbor, its my calling...but the thing is being a figurehead for a haven of degenerates you tend to get involved with some shady folks. Getting out of Goodneighbor was probably one of the better decisions I’ve made in the last decade. As for settlin' down..I couldn’t rule out that maybe someday I could have something long term…if they’d have me. I mean….I aint much, ya know?”

“I think you are.” She spoke bluntly but gently. “I have to be honest with you, John. I didn’t think I’d ever grow attached to anyone since Nate.”

His heart pounded heavy while he tried to play cool. “You sayin you’re attached ’ta me?”

She smiled coyly. “Maybe.” She sat up and rifled through her bag, producing a beat up Mentat tin. “Grape. Up for a chem break?” 

He sighed in relief. “Sister, you’re a fuckin angel, you know that?” 

“I figured if we're camping and while its quiet, we might as well enjoy it while it lasts. ” She grinned impishly before locking eyes with him again as she darted her tongue out at her tab. He thanked the darkness covered the deeper scarlet hue that had spread across his face.

As the Grape Mentats dissolved on their tongues and released their euphoric effects they laid down close to each other. She turned and pressed closer into him, running her hand across the divots in his skin across his chest. Internally he was screaming, his heart bellowing for his head just to act and kiss her and make love to her, but his head was frozen in doubt. 

“Mmmmm that’s the ticket.” She purred, stretching out against him. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than ever.” His brain and body floated above the ground, the only think keeping him grounded was the sensation of her warm, little body next to him; petting him.

“I wonder what my college professors would think of me now? End of the World, high off my ass using what they taught me. Way back when I tried to play it all straight...people would clutch their pearls if you admitted to using but fuck it. Look where it got them haha.”

Hancock rolled over to roll a joint. “Yeah an’ now look atcha; layin’ here in the dirt with the most eligible Ghoul in the Commonwealth high off your ass.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now, to be honest.”

He leaned back, inhaling deeply then watching the trail of smoke rise into the Prussian blue night sky. 

“To think that I had ever doubted you…”

She sat up. “Doubts? What doubts?”

“Calm down, and I’ll tell ya.” He smiled and swatted at her with his hat. “Its just so rare to find someone who’s willing to get their hands dirty to do what’s right, ya know? Take that blowhard McDonough in Diamond City; before he was Mayor he wasn’t such a bad guy…I thought he and I had a pretty good childhood at least.”

“Wait…what do you mean?” her voice trailed as she started to catch his meaning. “You’re related?”

“That’s right. Guy’s my brother. We lived in a small shack by the river for a while until we moved to Diamond City. It was a nicer place back then. Ghouls and their families lived there and everything…until he ran for Mayor. ‘Mankind for Diamond City’ he called it. His whole platform was that he was gonna kick the Ghouls out. Said he had nothin’ against em’ he was just doin’ the will of the people. Fuckin’ snobs in the upper stands…when he won, neighbors turned against their friends and drove them out.”

“Those fuckers…”Chell rumbled.

“Sure are. Anyway, I ran straight to his office…I shoulda just killed him right there and then, but instead I begged him to call it off. He just smiled and said ‘I did it, John.’ That hideous, fuckin mile long smile. He didn’t even look human anymore. I wasn’t a Ghoul then myself, so I coulda stayed but I just couldn’t..not after all that. I knew all the safe routes to Goodneighbor at least, tried to help them and bring em food. Eventually they disappeared though; couldn’t get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle.”

“He murdered them.” She whispered, trembling with renewed rage. 

“Him and that whole damn city. I never thought I would find anyone else who was willing to see the world for what it truly was and still give a damn about helpin’ people. That is…until I met you.” He gazed into her eyes and softened. Hancock looked into her eyes desperately wanting to scream how he felt about her. His self doubt was overwhelming and he swallowed his words before they even formed He took a long pull of the joint and passed it to her. “Chell, I am really lucky to have you….as a friend.” 

Chell wrinkled her nose a little at the word. “…and that’s what we are? Friends?” she grinned slyly.

Hancock’s eyes widened, as did his smile. “Well, now that you mention it.. I have to admit, I’ve been having more….impure thoughts lately. Maybe later we could… act on them, heh.”  
He spoke softly, his eyes burning into hers.

She could feel herself being pulled in closer by his magnetism. “Why wait?” 

The inner conflict he felt was overwhelming. He pulled away apprehensively, just slightly, and broke the bubble of pheromones. “I can't believe that I'm gonna be the voice of reason, here. We'll see, doll. Right now though we should be focused on tomorrow. ”

She cleared her throat and averted her eyes downward. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” The disappointment in her voice was nearly a physical weight on his chest and he instantly regretted not acting at the chance. “I think..I might need a little bit, you know. We’ve been walkin’ for ages and the lake looks nice enough to get the dirt off me.”

He deadpanned and cocked his brow, “You know how much of the Commonwealth has used that for a bathroom?” 

She swung at his arm hard and laughed as she picked herself up clumsily. The Mentatsand the herb rocked the ground to and fro and she giggled as she attempted to keep up with it. “I’ll only be a minute, alright?” she smiled.

He lit a cigarette and nodded. She could make out his devilish grin as the cherry from the burning tobacco. His eyes followed her down the shoreline until she was just about out of sight. 

Hancock tried to smother himself with his hat and groaned as soon as she was out of earshot. 

_Impure thoughts, huh? Christ, you’re a real winner, John._

He sat up abruptly, half out of anger, half out of embarrassment. 

_No. You’re John Fucking Hancock…you don’t fall in love._

As he thought this, the empty pit in his chest that had so carefully been walled off had started to grow. He felt the unavoidable longing and the ache to fill it. 

“Fuck it. She had the right idea. Gotta clear my head.” He stood, checking his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter before heading up the embankment towards the road. 

“God dammit.” She said, throwing her shirt on the ground with emphasis. “Don’t fuckin’ do this Chell.” She spoke to herself as if she’d listen to reason. She knew this feeling. She knew she had feelings for him. She all but straight up admitted to him. 

_I need to cool down. Get my head on straight._

She kicked off her boots and shimmied out of her jeans. 

_'Just friends?’_ she mocked herself internally. “How can I be so dumb?”

After removing the last of her undergarments she strode gingerly into the lake, her toes searching for solid ground under the water. Once she reached the waist deep point she inhaled deeply and plunged beneath and stayed for a few moments, chastising herself for throwing herself so headlong at him. 

_This is what Nick warned you about._

He stared at the concrete and barbed wire that walled off Covenant. He hated this place, and all of its people for thinking they were so much better. It was Diamond City all over again. This time he’d actually be able to do something about it. He and Chell would make them pay in the morning. He thought about their conversation, all the unspoken words. 

_Soon. I’ll tell her how it is and lay it on the line. I’d rather have an answer than play like this and turns out she’s full of crap._

_She’s not like that though._ He countered himself.

He turned and followed the rusted out guardrails of the road before finding a game trail that lead back down to the waterfront. He hadn’t expected to see her emerge from the depths so close to where he was; he had lost track of how far he had actually traveled. He had turned to leave to give her the privacy that she had deserved, but his curiosity was never one to leave him be. He leaned behind a blasted stump and watched envious of her hands as they combed through the length of her hair. The moonlight shone off the water that dripped off her body as he could feel himself give in to the sight of this water goddess. He remembered a story from one of the books Daisy let him borrow about the myth of the moon goddess and the hunter who watched her bathe. 

_Remember… that didn’t turn out well, John. You’re gonna get eaten alive…._

He could see the scars that danced across her body, her full breasts and the hardened nipples that topped them. He felt his member grow and pulse within the fabric of his clothes. Her hands trailed across her breasts, squeezing and massaging them.  
_God dammit, this ain’t helpin’._

Hancock’s left hand went instinctively to the growing bulge and applied pressure causing a slow gasp to pass his weathered lips. Chell’s hands moved down her body, dipping below the surface where her legs parted. She stood still, except for the slight circular motions of her wrist beneath the water. She moaned ever so slightly; he could no longer hold himself back. He unbuttoned himself and pulled his throbbing cock out, already sticky with pre-cum. Stroking slowly, he watched as she pleasured herself in the water unaware of his presence. She threw her head back and let out a gasp causing him to speed up his own pace. His fingers grazed the tip of his head on each upstroke; he was dying to know how she would touch him. Her free hand went to her left breast, pinching the nipple and twisting slightly as her moans because slightly louder. Gods he wished he could see what she was doing underneath. He wanted her so bad it almost felt painful; wanting to trace her folds with his tongue, to know her taste and her scent. Needing to hear her call his name as she came. He struggled to stay silent as he stroked faster, gripping a little harder. He could tell by her own quickened movements and shallow gasps that she was near the edge.

“Uhhh, fuck... oh god….John…” she moaned. 

_She said my name…._

This was just about as much as he could take. He was watching the most beautiful woman in the world make herself come with his name on her lips.

Her orgasm quickly approached, he saw her drop slightly in the water and her moans were no longer so quiet. 

“Ohh ….ohhh fuckkkk” she carried on. 

What he wouldn’t give to feel her come around his cock, in his mouth, around his fingers…anything. His climax spent no time getting there either. He bit his bottom lip to keep his own frantic moans quiet enough not to draw attention. His seed spilled on the ground in front of him in bursts. Stars danced in his black eyes from the pressure that was now released. He knew that this was a temporary solution; this only barely satisfied. He needed her and it pained him. After a little time he put himself back into his pants, careful to not make any noise. He watched as she left the water to where she had left her clothes, watching it dripping off her in buckets. He admired her figure, committing every curve to memory from the small patch of hair of her sex to the marks of childbirth that clawed her lower stomach. This image of his Goddess would never leave him as long as he lived. After a moment when the rush in his ears had dulled to a low roar he climbed back up the game path to the road deliberately taking his time so as to not arouse her suspicions he had been watching. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of her burned in them. In time, he arrived back to find her dressed, smoking a cigarette and wearing his coat.

“Hey I was wonderin’ where you went off to,” she called out, “Started thinkin’ a mongrel had dragged you off.”

“It’ll take more than a stray dog to take me down, sister.” He grinned. “Coat looks good on ya.”

“Its comfy. No wonder you wear it everywhere. I remember before all this I went to the Statehouse as part of a school trip, seeing this coat behind glass. Never thought I’d actually ever wear the damn thing.”

“Bet that’s gotta be a trip.” he groaned slightly as he seated himself in front of her, his knee touching hers. 

“Its not bad one.” She said smiling; leaving more words unspoken. Chell laid back and the coat opened further. Hancock could make out the peaks of her still hardened nipples under the thin material of her shirt. The pulse in his cock made him twitch again and he looked away quickly before self control was no longer attainable. She pulled her arms out of the sleeves and spread out the other half on the ground again and beckoned him to lay next to her. He swallowed hard but obeyed; as if under a spell. She checked the time on her Pip Boy and sighed.

“If we don’t sleep now, we won’t get any. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty beat. That scrub down did just the trick.”

“Hhrm…yeah. I imagine it would.” He grinned, closing his eyes with her image on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the song goes to Caro Emerald "The Wonderful in You."


	10. No Rest for the Wicked

When Chell woke the next morning she felt odd; something was absent. It dawned on her for the first time in ages she hadn’t had a nightmare and her body was, for the most part, relaxed. The sensation was difficult to process.

_How about that...I actually feel....good_

She carefully crawled to the duffle bag as not to wake Hancock and got her gun cleaning kit out in order to prep for the day. 

_And what a day it will be._ she thought grimly.

She heard John inhale sharply; the first breaths of consciousness. She smiled as he turned on his side facing her, still mostly asleep. She checked her pockets for her cigarettes but found only an empty pack there. 

“Dammit…”she whispered to herself. 

She could see an open pack peeking out of the top of Hancock’s shirt pocket. She crept silently next to him and reached for the pack, but just then his eyes suddenly flew open. In his daze he grabbed her wrist on instinct, mistaking who she was and her intentions and used the angle of his body as leverage to attempt to flip her to the ground. Chell, however, being the combat veteran she was, gripped his shoulders and pivoted; throwing her body weight to counter until she had him pinned underneath instead. The jolt of the tumble had shocked him awake and he blinked hard. Chell grinned as she straddled him triumphantly. 

“I guess I win that round.” She loosened her grip on his wrists just slightly and craned her neck to pluck a loose cigarette from the pocket of his shirt with her lips. Her hair cascaded across his face and he strained with all of his being not to take her head in his hands to kiss her. As she pulled up she deliberately shifted again, undulating her hips into his lap.

“Now, I know that’s not your shotgun.” She winked as she lit her reward. 

 

Hancock swallowed.

_Dammit John. You’re in deep now._

“There goes those thoughts of mine again.” He purred, sliding his hands to her thighs and squeezing just a little. 

“That so?” she grinned. She bent back down closer, never breaking eye contact. He watched as she licked her lips as her eyes locked with his own.

Suddenly above them on the road to Covenant there was a clamor of movement, of people arguing. Her head snapped upwards at the sound, breaking away abruptly much to Hancock's extreme dismay. 

“I think Dan’s up there fighting with that asshole.” She returned to his frazzled gaze. “We’re gonna finish this later, I promise.” She leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth innocently before jumping off of her stunned mount. As Chell scrambled to collect her pistol and the duffle bag, Hancock laid there with his hand over his eyes. 

“Are you comin’ or not?” she called behind her.

“ _Oh, just wait..._ ” he said out of earshot before rising to follow her. 

They found Dan leaning up against the outer wall of Swanson’s “office” fuming. Fortunately, the old gatekeeper had stormed off inside. He seemed somewhat relieved to see the pair scramble over the embankment on the other side.

“Dan, got what you're lookin' for. They definitely came through here. Turns out that test they make you take is some sort of litmus test to see if you’re a Synth. You fail, they take you to this place called the Compound which is somewhere across the lake here. I think they got Amelia there.”

Dan nodded solemnly and set his jaw. “I see. Are you going out there?”

Hancock stared across the lake at the set of drainage pipes in the distance. “Damn straight. We can’t let these motherfuckers get away with murderin’ innocent people. Of course we are.”

A half smile crept across the Caravan Master’s face. “Mr. Stockton and I are extremely grateful. If I might ask, I’d like to come along. Never hurts to have an extra hand, right?”

“Dan, you’re more than welcome with us. If we get started now we can probably make the other side by noon.” She held her arm out and he gripped it hard.   
John and Dan had started ahead of her. She checked her Pipboy for the local area map when she heard the double doors of the settlement open. Jacob Orden, the porculent leader of Covenant had emerged from behind them.

“Miss I’m going to have to ask you to cease and desist this search of yours.”

She turned slowly to face him. “You don't have guts or the manpower to stop me, Jacob. You guys are terrible liars.” 

Hancock grasped at Dan at the sound of her voice. As they stopped to watch the confrontation, chills ran down his spine at the sound of her voice as she threatened the Mayor. It was better than any chem he'd ever taken.

“I know all about the Compound. I know what you’ve been doing to those people. This ends today, I promise you that.” She said defiantly.

“People?! How could you even call them that? Please, this for our protection! If you take this from us you’re leaving us to the mercy of these infiltrators. I’ll give you anything…I can make this worth it to you…a gift, 100 caps and just walk away from all of this.”

Chell rushed at him until she was mere inches from his pockmarked face and shoved him into the concrete wall.

“Caps? You think you can just buy my silence? Clearly you don't know me or my partner, do you? You really believe we'll just walk away while you and your demented little town continue to kill people? You’re insane. We're going to get her back, and after we're done we're comin' to sort the rest of you out.” She growled. 

This was it. Hancock finally knew that he had met his match in every way. This was so different than everyone before and that hole in his heart, that ache he'd been so desperate to fill , was an outpouring of raw emotion; knowing she had every intention on making good on her promise. This was her true self; passionate about protecting people, and he loved it.

He strode to her side, shotgun in hand. She shoved him hard once more before releasing the lapels of his filthy jacket; Jacob took his hat off and wiped the sweat from his balding head. He muttered something unintelligible and mostly unheard and returned behind the doors. 

Hancock laid his hand on her shoulder gently, feeling the tension beneath his grip and smiled at her. 

“C’mon, let’s get a move on it, it’ll take us a little bit to get around the bay.”

Chell's simmering fury had set a punishing pace across the boulders and fallen logs that lined the shoreline. She didn't say much, but at times she instructed them to stay close to the shore.

“They'll be waiting for us, I'm sure. At least they can't ambush us if we have the water line at our side.”

The drainage pipes jutted out from the embankment unassumingly. Dan pointed out that there was a figure at the top of the hill. As they approached closer it, they relaxed; an elderly man grumbled from atop the broken concrete partition complaining about how they're scaring his fish away. 

“Get lost, old man. We'll be gone before long. Just stay outta our way.” she warned and watched him slink back to the hill. Hancock gingerly brushed his hand across her shoulder blades in an attempt to melt some of her tension. She was grateful for the small gesture of affection, but stayed determined to find a good place to drop down into the water. 

The trio searched through the pond scum shallows for a path that could get them close to the openings of the pipes. The naked eye would have figured they were waste run off receptacles from the nearby Corvega plant in Lexington, however the middle pipe was not hollow after all. Finding a suitable spot, Chell jumped into the waist deep waters and found a steel door.

“Down here.” 

She pulled hard on the door. The pressure from the water held it shut fast until John took up behind her. She smiled and welcomed the assist as he pressed against her finding his grip on the door handle. Once the seal was broken the door swung heavily towards them releasing a plume of stale sewer air.   
Once they were all inside, she unstrapped her Gauss Rifle as the boys readied their respective weapons of choice. Like most all underground structures there was an awful lot of crumbling brick and mortar, extensions of the Boston catacombs that linked with Railroad HQ. 

“Looks like they converted the ol' sewers here for this gig.” Dan mentioned casually. 

“Down here often?” Hancock asked.

“In my line of work sometimes you gotta find places to hide. Anyone in Stockton's line of work knows that, even your woman.”

“She ain't my woman...” his defense came out shakier than he had wanted and Dan caught this.

“Really? You're all over her like she is. Haven't seen too many like you two together. You should feel lucky.”

“What's that supposed to mean--”

“Boys, I hate to break up your girl chat but we're not here to gush over who's with who.” Chell chimed in. “There's people up ahead. How bout we go say hi.”

The main pipe curled to the left and flood lights poured in through the large break in the rusted out steel. It was impossible to make out any of their faces, but as soon as they stepped out they were confronted by a contingency of Compound Guards. A man with a heavy accent of some unknown dialect spoke up. 

“What are you doing here? You’re trespassing. Leave now and you leave with your lives.”

Chell squinted in the light and adjusted her glasses, “Sorry pal, we’re here for a pick up. You're gonna tell me where Amelia Stockton is.”

The man laughed amongst the sounds of chambers being readied and safeties turning off. “You fuckin' bitch, you think you give the orders around here?”

“Buddy, you’re gonna learn in time my orders are the _only_ ones that are ever gonna matter...” She said smoothly, raising her rifle in defense.

In time, as she would remember this fight, she was never really sure who fired the first shot; the trio scattered quickly in opposite directions and returned fire. After the screaming stopped and the dust settled Chell found the large bear of a man who had spoken bleeding out quickly. Chell hovered over him emotionless and spoke calmly through heavy breaths.

“Where is she?” 

“Ffff…Fuck you!” he spat blood at her, hitting her in across her cheek. She didn’t flinch, or react, or even wipe it away. She knelt down to the dying man and unsheathed her knife.

“You tell me and I'll give you a quick death. Or I can leave you here to bleed in agony. I can be merciful.”

“...b..below...deeper in..” he gurgled

She nodded and calmly plunged the knife underneath his chin, splitting his tongue in two before the point reached his brain. In the back of his mind, Hancock felt like he just watched an apex predator finish off her weak and wounded prey. His pulse quickened at the thought of her violence. 

She searched his body and found a holotape and a set of keys. “I'm sure these will prove useful just as I'm sure that everyone in the compound now knows the party started. Dan, I want you to flanking the left side, Hancock I want you up front…”

“Oh I know you do.” He replied cheekily as he shuffled up front.  
“Yeah, yeah lover boy, time to focus here. If you engage anyone I need you low and I’ll fire over your head so take a knee before firing, ok?” 

Dan started off ahead to take up his position, Chell hung back with Hancock to add to her instruction.

“John, please be careful, ok? I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt…or worse.”

He pulled her in and kissed her forehead, “You got nothin’ to worry bout. And you…same goes for you, you know. I don’t ever wanna see you like you did when you came back after   
you fought Sinjin. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened again. Deal?”

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

The corridors were dark save for the low, red emergency lights that occasionally peppered the walls. Chell closed her eyes and trained her ears to memorize the sounds of Hancock and Dan and to tell them apart from the Compound Guards. When some of the more perceptive men saw them, brief firefights would erupt and fill the cavernous catacombs with the roar of gunshots. 

_These mercenaries are damned sloppy. She noted. No training at all….just point and shoot._

The three of them utilized the corners of the decayed walls and the columns in the larger rooms to their advantage. There were several rooms that were closed off by security doors which proved easy to pick. They entered one, and Hancock barricaded the door with one of the steel chairs that was found inside. The furniture was minimal; two small, steel chairs divided by a steel table. There was paperwork strewn about on top of one of the cabinets towards the corner. On the steel table there was a plastic organizer and within lay a holotape. 

“This place stinks like shit.” Dan commented.

“Its set up for interrogation, it looks like.” Chell observed, picking up the holotape. “I’ve seen places like this in Anchorage.” Her voice seemed cold and distant. Hancock frowned but kept an eye at the door. Chell popped the player open in her PipBoy and slammed the tape inside. The speaker hissed and the voice of a frightened man crackled through:

“Please... I've got a kid. I've...” he begged.

A woman spoke with a harsh commanding tone,“Do you want another treatment?

“No.”

“So. Again. Congratulations! You made it onto a baseball team! Which position do you prefer?” Her voice was eerily cheery as she asked the question. Chell blinked when she remembered her own litmus test.

“I've already told you. Catcher.”

“Again. Which position?”

“Catcher, I'd be the Catcher.” He whimpered.

“Why?” she barked.

“I... I don't know. They got the funny... the funny helmets. I saw a picture when I was a kid.”

“Do synths even know the rules of baseball?” the contempt in her voice oozed from the speaker causing everyone in the room to sneer in disgust.

“No. Please, I'm not a... Just let me...” the man screamed as a strong electrical current was most likely jolted through his body.

“Just answer the questions and only the questions. Congratulations! You made it onto a baseball team! Which position do you prefer?” The woman didn’t skip a beat despite nearly microwaving the man’s brain out of his skull.

“Catcher.” He said, utterly defeated.

As the speaker died, Chell ripped the holotape back out of the player and threw it back onto the table. Her fingernails cut bloody semicircles into her palms as she swallowed her anger, struggling to maintain her composure. Hancock gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. He knew that look; he had felt that pain. He took a deep breath and glowered at the door. A strange, sadistic smile crept across his face as he turned back to face her. This was not a time to turn inward; instead he appealed to the monster within her.

“Why don't we show them a thing or two about pain, darlin'?”   
She looked up at him and the light overhead had darkened her eyes. They looked hollow and sunken, but she curled her lip with a sick grin and unholstered her pistol. 

“No survivors.” She growled.

They blasted and gutted their way through the corridors in a hail of spent shells and casings. The screams of the remaining guards echoed off the brick. They no longer cared about strategy instead relying solely on pure adrenaline and hatred. More than a few times Hancock had caught her laughing as she gunned them down in cold blood. After sweeping through every conceivable inch of the surrounding area they found final tunnel that opened up to the largest room in the Compound. Both Hancock and Chell were covered in blood, laughing at the sight of each other; it dripped down their faces and matted in her hair. Dan hushed them and directed them towards a sound – a voice.

_The voice from the holotape_ Chell realized.

The woman spoke from the center of the room, flanked by the last two shaking mercenaries left.

“This doesn’t have to end in further bloodshed.”

Chell aimed the pistol directly at the older woman’s face and marched straight into the room, clearing the distance between them. She bore the still hot barrel into the Doctor's wrinkled forehead.

“I’m going to let you explain why you did this….and then I’m painting the room with your brains.” Chell snarled through clenched teeth; annunciating every word with crystal clarity.  
“You don’t understand what we do here. We’re trying to protect humanity.”

Chell drilled harder into her; the Doctor never broke her gaze through dirty welding goggles. “Protect humanity!?” Chell spat. “And what would you know of it, you mongrel? If you can even pretend to be human you're going to release Ameila Stockton!”

The old woman chuckled, “You're a fool. Why would I release a Synth back out into that world? You do realize that they are the enemy, not me.”

“The only enemy I see is the monster who’s spent years torturing people on baseless information and heresay. You've no proof that Amelia's a Synth. Tell me, _Doctor_ , how many people have you slaughtered down here? And for what, your own sense of security? I've seen where this leads and it destroyed the world. WHERE IS SHE?!”

The woman swallowed hard, but stood resolute. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I will not allow you to ruin years of my work.” The woman signaled unnoticed to her body guards who aimed point blank at Chell. “You don’t understand what a threat they are, do you? Have you ever heard of Broken Mask?”

“I’ve heard enough.” Chell grunted. Hancock lowered his eyes for a moment. He heard his brother often refer to it; using it as justification during his campaign to eject every non-human from the city. He felt his stomach lurch as the guards raised their guns at her, desperately fighting the urge to lunge at them.

“Mr. Carter, the Synth infiltrator. He murdered my parents before my very eyes. He was designed for one thing and one thing only: killing humans. That’s what all of them are made for. They serve no other purpose. Its our duty to root them out and dispose of them or humanity will never be safe.”

“Oh Christ, you sound like Maxson!” Chell flared. “You think you’re the only one who’s lost a loved one? You’ve taken someone’s child! You're killing people who have families! I've never met a Gen 3 Synth that wanted to kill anyone, but I've met plenty of scumbags like you all too happy to murder innocent people for your own gain.”

“If you kill me and you’re no better than them, you know. You’re one of us monsters who kills for their own means. I offer you a chance to right this. Help us so that we can protect the Commonwealth.”

Dan shifted uneasily, weary of this counter offer. “Chell, you go that route...there's gonna be some major consequences.”

Hancock raised his brow and waited for her response, but there was no doubt in his mind what that answer was going to be. 

“You know what, Doctor? You're right 'bout me. I am a monster...and I'm going to burn this operation to the ground.” Chell said coldly; the rage had finally pushed her to the point of nothingness. Her whole being shifted into the uncaring storm inside her mind and she squeezed the trigger without a second thought. The last two Compound Guards each fired but aimed high, petrified of the small blonde soaked in blood and brains. Dan and Hancock leapt into action at the sound of the gunshot; with the former striding behind and snapping one man's neck; and the latter slipping his well loved combat knife in-between the other's ribs like he was bleeding out a Brahmin. Chell holstered her gun and stared at the body as it twitched and convulsed. As the Doctor's spasms finally slowed she spit on the body before seeking out Hancock's reaction. He approached slowly, waiting for her to return from beyond that brink. He reached out to her and held her by her shoulders before folding her into his arms.

“You did the right thing, you know.” he said softly into her ear.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes, wishing she could dissolve. There was a time in her life she would have been horrified at her actions, but this felt righteous. This is what she was put here for. She knew he was right and she found solace in knowing that she had avenged dozens of families who were missing loved ones because of this woman’s cruelty and malice. She pulled away wiping the tears from her eyes. She couldn’t look at him and expose how vulnerable she felt in this moment. He lingered wishing she would just stay with him a little longer but he knew that they weren't quite finished. To the right of the staircase the screen from a terminal lit up the brick walls. Access wasn't a problem; they never bothered to encrypt any of the data and she found the commands to unlock all the doors on the upper floor. Dan bounded up the stairs and found Amelia clinging to life by mere threads. Chell climbed after him and searched through her pack for purified water and a stimpack. The young woman sputtered and gasped and in moments focused on Dan. 

“Don’t worry, baby girl, I got you.” He said softly and cradled her as he brought the water to her chapped and flaked lips. He turned and looked up at the General.

“You don’t know what this means to me...to us. She’d be dead if it weren’t for you. Thank you….really, I-I mean it. Here, I know it's not much, but this is half of what was given to me by the old man to find her. “

He held up a small sack that clinked; the familiar sound of a hefty load of caps. Chell nodded in acceptance. “I’m just glad she’s alright but I appreciate the gesture. Can you manage from here? Hancock an' I aren't done yet....we got scores to settle 'cross the lake.”

“Yeah, I’ll get her back home safe.”

She patted him solidly on the back and turned back to Hancock. “We've unfinished business in Covenant; no rest for the Wicked.” She said with a cold smile. He put his arm around her and squeezed. 

“Then let’s go say hello to the neighbors.”


	11. Heaven

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance. Chell could feel her skin prickle knowing that a hell of a Radstorm was coming.

_'Bout time too...this things been on its way for weeks_ she thought idly.

It was all she could do keep from focusing too hard on what they had to do next. After all, she knew she shouldn't be this thrilled to kill people. 

_They have it comin'; this stops today._

Her silence was deafening to him. Hancock stayed close, periodically looking over at her.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked, brushing his hand against hers.

She looked up, snapped out of her thoughts. “Hm? Oh, yeah...I'm good. Just wanna get this over with.” she lied.

“Heh, I was almost as blown away as that old bitch was back there when you blew her head off. That was really incredible standin' up to her like that.”

“I'm just glad that Amelia and Dan got out ok; once this is done we can move on to the next calamity.” 

He rifled through his pockets until he found a full canister of Jet and handed it to her. “This'll take some of that edge off. You look like you could use some. You know, the world’s always gonna have tyrants. If we get our way, there will be a lot less.”

“But at what cost, John? When do we ourselves turn into the tyrant?” She asked on an inhale.

“The day we stop caring about people who have less.” He answered matter of factly. “These people...they knew what they're doing. They had just as much as an equal hand in all this as that Doctor.. They took from people who had nothin' left to give….and for what? This is just like what my brother did, only worse.” He reached for the canister she held back out to him and took a hit. 

“If it makes you feel any better I know how you must've felt wantin' to leave it all behind and get away from it. Shit like this never sits right with me.”

He paused for a moment then grasped her hand firmly, stopping her.

“Uh hey...I got somethin' to say to you.” he said looking at the ground at her feet. It was so difficult to say this and look her in the eyes.

“Sure, whacha' need? Its nothin' bad I hope?”

“Nah, nothing bad. Actually, this is kinda hard for me to get out so I'm just gonna say it, right? It’s like all my life I’ve been runnin'. Away from my family, away from Diamond City…I took up with you just to get outta Goodneighbor..I—“

His explanation was cut short by the sounds of shouting up ahead. Chell 's eyes widened as a few of the menfolk from Covenant were on the road ahead of them; rushing forward with weapons drawn.

“Shit, Hancock get down!” she yelped as bullets flew around them. She shoved him to the side as a round hit the dirt in front of her.

“Oh I’m FERAL now!” Hancock roared as he loaded his shotgun and marched forward blasting. “You're gonna wish this was a fuckin' nightmare!”

As he approached closer he recognized the salt and pepper hair of his partner's interrogator from yesterday. He smiled sadistically as he pumped Swanson with a chest full of buckshot, not once but twice. 

“Lotta good that test did you now, asshole!” he snarled at the body as it left a bloody pool in the dirt. 

Chell rushed forward firing round after round at the dark haired man with the pipe pistol. Three of her slugs caught him in the chest he collapsed like paper machet in a downpour. She knew it was Brian Fitzgerald immediately; he was Covenant's primary enforcer based on what she'd read in Jacob's terminal. 

“They know we're comin'.” she said breathlessly.

“Good! I don't like surprises anyway.”

Once they got to the walls outside of town, they positioned themselves on either side of the doors.

With a nod from Chell, Hancock kicked the door open. A hail of bullets flew in their direction in response. It appeared that everyone in Covenant was armed to the teeth, however they were poorly trained. Bullets ricocheted off the walls and off of rocks embedding themselves into the dirt. A shot had managed to graze Chell in the thigh which only made her more determined to end them more fervently. This was no army; it wasn't a platoon of Gunners or even a pack or Raiders who were used to firefights. This seemed almost unfair.  
She watched as Hancock downed Mr. Orden before she herself sent Penny Fitzgerald to Hell along with her husband. Soon she lost track of who killed who and the ground of the once peaceful Covenant was sopping with its resident's blood. Within minutes the only ones left standing were her, Hancock, the cat and Deezer.  
With weapons still drawn, they passed through the doors cautiously. It seemed like hours waiting for some sudden movement but eventually Chell gave the all clear, holstered her weapon, and reached for her cigarettes.

“Looks like they got you, Tex.” he gestured to the blossoming red line on the side of her leg.

“I’m fine.” She spit in the dirt. “I'll sew it up once we make camp again but first it’ll be dark in a few hours. We need to get the bodies outta here before they attract Bloatflies.”

Hancock shrugged. She had a point; they were close enough to water that any type of decaying meat would attract vermin sooner or later. Thunder grew bolder as they carried the corpses one by one outside of the walls and down the embankment. Minimum effort was put into digging a small, shallow grave and each one tossed inside unceremoniously. Chell pulled a flask from a holster at her side and drew long pulls; even though they aided in the horrific torture of man and Synth alike, they were still people and deserved a few last words over their bodies. When the grave was covered; Chell dumped what was left of her flask over top. 

“Such a waste of life.” She said softly. Hancock put his arm around her waist when they climbed back up the hill to the settlement. The wind was now steady and the air smelled like  
ozone and petrichor. 

“We should probably stay inside...Rad Storm comin’ soon. 'Sides, I got Grape Mentats with our name on it.” Hancock guided her. 

“Yeah, sounds good.” She relented and followed him inside the main house. Her skin prickled in waves as the surge rolled back and forth above. The bed inside the house was large and comfortable with fluffy pillows and untorn blankets. Chell ran outside to grab a bucket of water and put it on the stove in order to clean the muck off. As it heated, he handed  
her a tab and kicked back on the bed.

“You don't mind if I clean up, do you?” She asked, wringing out a wet cloth. Hancock shook his head.

“Of course not, be my guest.”

The first boom of thunder shook the house along with the familiar tingle of rads that seemed to permeate everything. Chell’s pupils dilated as they trailed up her spine and she removed her shirt slowly in his presence. He sat up straighter as his sight had become more focused under the influence. On her side, a small patch of skin looked slightly more weathered than the rest of her…

_Is that?_ ….he wondered.

Another loud rumble of thunder ripped across the sky; the rain had started to pour down in buckets. Her body tingled as the Rads built up, then released with each boom. With her back turned to him, she wiped the muck off of her methodically and felt his eyes on her, which filled her with hunger.

“John, you were saying something on the road back there….tell me.” Her voice commanding, but soft and vulnerable. She pulled the tie out of her hair and let it fall around her shoulders. 

“Chell, I....I guess I was sayin' that I don’t wanna run anymore. Being here with you, even after all that….its been the happiest I’ve ever been.” He started. 

She peeled off the torn and bloody pants was stripped down to her undergarments and she walked to him, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders. “Go on…”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be in some gutter gettin’ gnawed on by radroaches, but instead…we’re here, we’re making a difference here.” His hands gingerly trailed up her bare thighs, eliciting a silent gasp from her. The dark pools of his eyes looked up into hers and swallowed, “..you have been a hell of a friend.”

She smirked and said with a slight laugh, “You still consider us to be just friends, John? Nothin’ more?” she ran her hands down his back and pressed her body against him. 

The storm above intensified; rads thrummed through both of them. His hands crawled up the sides of her sides, gingerly grazing the small patch he had noticed a few moments ago. “You sure you wanna wake up to this ugly mug every morning? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone I cared about…or loved.” 

She crawled slowly into his lap, holding his head closer to hers as she lowered her eyes. “Never be ashamed of who you are, John Hancock. I want you just the way you are.” She said softly and pressed her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, bracing the back of her neck and moaned into her mouth. Chell parted her lips and let her tongue wander to his before retreating. She pulled away and gazed deeply into his eyes as she undid the hook of her bra. He embraced her tightly again, kissing her as he smiled and rocked back and forth. His lips trailed down her neck and bit softly; smiling at her gasps. Her fingers teased at his collar; she turned her head slightly to trail her lips across his temple.

“John...you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this…”her whisper was almost inaudible over the downpour.

He laughed softly, his voice a near whisper “Not as long as I have, love.”  
She gripped his collar again and pulled him in, kissing him deeply. He cradled her head and combed through her hair one more time before pulling away again to remove the tattered flannel stopping shy at the undershirt. She slid her hands underneath the fabric and trailed her fingers across the skin of his shoulders. He tensed up and pulled away to gaze into her eyes.

“Chell, I..Are you sure you want….this?” his voice almost trembled with the weight of his doubt. She pulled him in smiling and planted another long kiss.

“I want you, I want all of you...there is nothing that could make me want you less.”

He allowed her to pull the shirt off over his head and let her fingers explore the skin that he wouldn’t let anyone touch. The skin was surprisingly soft, somewhat akin to the way her skin felt where motherhood had made its mark on her stomach. She grazed her lips down his neck and trailed down to his shoulder; clasping him tightly as she kissed his body. She pressed her skin to his soaking in his warmth; he stroked his fingertips across her skin caressing her sides. He hesitantly moved his hand to her breast and slid the surface of his palm across the aching point of her nipple before cupping it firmly. He brushed the underside of her breasts as he pulled away to admire her lovely body, then lowered his mouth to her skin. Her quickened breathing was better than Jet as time slowed; his ruined mouth teasing the flesh around her areola causing it to perk. Hancock traced the edge of his lips and teased before taking the hardened nub into his mouth, increasing the suction sparingly.

“Ohh God....John you wouldn’t believe how wet you’re making me right now.” She hinted suggestively.

Pulling away from his toy, he kissed her again, “Since we have all night imagine how much wetter you’ll get.” He stated as he thrust his hips into her. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” he sighed returning to take her whole nipple back into his mouth, biting just enough to hear her yelp. Hancock laid backwards taking her with him and gripped onto her hips. He began rocking into her with the hardness of his length still trapped behind the denim of his pants. Chell could feel the cool air of the storm between her thighs and she knew that she was dripping for him; small pleading groans escaped from each of his thrusts. With his mouth still trained to her breast he hooked the band of her panties and slowly, achingly pulled them down and around to her thighs. She was desperate for his touch; completely exposed now, dying to finally connect. She pushed herself up and sat straddling him grinding into his hardness. He braced her thighs and thrust in time with her, grinning evilly as her mouth dropped open with the pressure against her clit. John suddenly sat up to kiss her, then roughly flipped her on her back. 

“Enough games, love. I need you.” his voice was carnal. 

She laughed as the motion left butterflies in her stomach and she laid there supine and ready for him. He started to unbutton his pants but his eyes were fixated on her curves. Once undone, he motioned with a single pointer finger and beckoned her to him. She gripped the waistline of his pants and pulled down as he tilted her head upwards to kiss her. He slipped his tongue delicately between her lips until his cock was almost released. He stood up and grinned as she finally pulled down far enough to release his throbbing cock. Chell bit her lip as she purred. 

“No wonder you’re so popular...” She smiled with an impish side eye.

He cocked an eyebrow and grinned, “It's all yours. Do you want it?”

“Fuck yes.” her breath was hot on the tip, now dripping with pre-cum. “You want me to suck your cock, love?”

“Ohhh fuck, Chell. I can’t wait…yes...please.” He begged breathlessly.

He petted her hair lightly as she kissed and teased the length of his shaft. 

_Fuckin' hell, this thing's ridiculous. Of course its always the skinny guys..._ She mused as she contemplated how much of his cock was going to fit in her mouth.

She stared up at him as her tongue darted out and circled the head of his penis slowly. Chell closed her eyes and listened to how he moaned as she dragged her tongue down the length of his shaft then back up. She slid his girth in between her lips leaving slick streaks of saliva that webbed when she pulled away. 

“You want me to take it all in?” Chell teased.

“Oh my fuckin' god, yes.” He shuddered and bucked as she kissed the tip, sucking slightly.

“Beg me.”

“Oh fuckin' hell, please. Please suck it, I want you so bad. I want your beautiful mouth all over it.”

She didn’t say another word as she slid his length past her lips, hitting the back of her throat. She shut her eyes and compelled her gag reflex to steady when she took as much as she could in. He groaned loudly as it hit the back of her throat repeatedly . He held the hair out of her face while she slid her mouth up and down on him switching from deep-throating him to concentrating on the tip. She ran her tongue under the rim of his head before sliding down the length of his shaft before pulling back up. Each time devoured him he matched her movements bucking his hips slightly in rhythm with her.

“Fuck fuck fuck...”he chanted with each motion, trying to stave off the climax that was building entirely way too fast for him. “Ohhhhh my gods, Chell. You’re gonna hafta slow down or you're gonna make a liar out of me.” he laughed out of breath. “This will end before we even get started, love. God damn you're so good...“ 

She pulled away smiling, a small trail of saliva trailing from her lips. “Aww I was just startin' to get warmed up, too. Okay...then how about you show me whatcha got?” And she laid back, propping herself up on her elbows with her knees barely touching and swaying side to side. 

“Oh I have some ideas alright…”

He wrapped his fingers around his cock and stroked slowly as he watched his lover’s naked body spread out just for him. He could see the shine of her wetness coat the inside of her thighs, dripping from the pink slit between them. 

“It’s takin' me everything not to just fuck the livin’ hell out of you right now…” he joked as he brushed the tops of her knees and pushed them forward; exposing her sex even more. He brought his body down on top of hers kissing her lips and everywhere else; working downward to nip at her nipples, to her navel, then finally, at the top of her mound.  
His bright eyes shined from between her legs. “Just look at ya…you're so wet, an' its all for me. How’d I get this lucky again?” he asked rhetorically as he moved to kiss the inside of her thighs. His tongue lapped up the wetness; his breath hot on her lips.

“John I want your tongue…”she groaned.

“Mmm don’t worry love you're gonna get it.” He teased as he quickly lapped at the folds around her clit just once, just enough to make her gasp sharply. “You made me beg for your mouth. I want you to do the same.” Another quick lick.

“Nnngg God, John, please...I want you to suck on my clit...”her breath was shallow and pleading.

“Ohh yeah, what else?” 

_Lick lick._

“I want you to fuck me with your tongue.”

_Lick lick lick._

With more aggression in her voice, she managed to snap, “Fuck, John, please!! Make me come.”

“That’s my girl.” He grinned devilishly as he gave into her pleas and swirled his tongue in circles around her aching little clit. He covered her entirety with his mouth sucking on her folds . His withered lips pursed drinking in her honey and then with a flat tongue he slid from top to bottom and back again before flicking her exposed clit with the tip of his tongue. Her cries of pleasure fueled his motions as he alternated between fast, then slow, always circular. Occasionally he would spread her open and circled her wet, little hole that quivered with each touch before plunging his tongue inside. His lack of nose gave him easier access and he was able to slither it in further than she had ever felt. He lapped up the wine that flowed from her, moaning from her taste. Her body felt electric, like a over charged battery on the edge of explosion.

“Oh my god, John, you feel so fucking good…Ohhh God…Fuckin hell.”

He pulled away just slightly to admire his handiwork before returning to suck on her clit again.

“I’ve wanted this since day one.” He admitted as he slid a slender finger inside. “Ohh...god damn, you're tight...I wanted to fuck you so bad, wanted to hear you come. This is so much better than I anticipated.” His voice nearly slurred drunk from her. 

“F-fuck John, I’m close…”

“Are you now? Do you want to come for me?”

“Yes please…” she begged; eyes bright with ecstasy.

He laughed lightly, “Music to my ears...” he brought his mouth back down, swirling around her clit again, but never breaking eye contact. Her breathing intensified and she moaned louder. 

He brought a second finger to the edge of her soaking wet hole, “Do you want two?” he asked innocently as rimming the edge. 

Chell was nearly incoherent, gripping the covers of the bed fiercely and almost babbling. It was enough of an answer for him; he slid the second in and smiled lustfully as she writhed under his touch, just enough stimulation for her body to grasp at the orgasm she’d been so desperate for. It came crashing down in a rush that formed in the pit of her being and washed over every inch of her in warm, electric waves. She grasped for the mattress and twisted; her cries were agonizing and ecstatic at the same time as if she were dying it the sweetest of ways. His mouth flooded with her, dripping down his chin and neck as he moaned in time with her. He came up with the biggest smile on his face, plastered with her essence, to kiss her. She reveled in it and licked herself off of his mouth.

“You dirty girl.” He growled. “Do you want more?”

“Mmmm please. I need you inside me, John.” 

“I fuckin’ love you.” He said before he kissed her again, his tongue probing her mouth. 

He knelt up and pushed her knees back up, lining himself up. At first he just stared at her hungrily as he took the pornographic image of her naked, wet body all in. He slid the length of his shaft between her soaking lips using the texture of his skin as stimulation over her sensitive clit. He flicked at the nub with his head gently and watched her twitch. Pre-cum dripped so heavily from his cock it webbed as he teased her hot flesh. His brow furrowed with the memory of a very crucial detail.

“Um, I hate to kill the mood love, but do you want to take any Rad X? I’m slightly radioactive ya know…”

She shook her head emphatically and arched her back. “No. Fuck me. I need it....”

He smiled knowingly. He remembered when he was changing the way it felt, no longer burning, but instead it was a tingle that he ended up craving.

Slowly, he lined the head of his cock with her and pushed slowly, eyes darting between hers and between her legs. 

“Fuck, Chell. God damn...” he gasped as his head pushed past her folds and into her. Chell’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as he filled her inside. He slid in to the hilt and stayed for a moment, concentrating on her warmth and on the subconscious twitches and flutters from within. He pulled out just slightly before thrusting back in again listening to her mewls. He bucked back and forth slowly... in and out. He gripped her by the back of the knees and pushed them to the bed, pinning her underneath so he could access her entirely. He curled his lip and stared at her; pumping faster into her. His eyes closed slightly, concentrating on her warmth around the wrinkled and textured skin of his shaft. Her moans were like an aria dedicated to their sex, and he found himself moving faster as she begged for more. She reached for his hands and entwined her fingers in his. Bringing them up over her head, he brought his body down on top of hers, skin to skin. He held her hands down as he thrust slow and deep, her legs wrapping around him keeping him buried inside her. Pushing himself up, his eyes locked onto hers with every movement.

“We’re just gettin’ warmed up here, love…” he whispered, then proceeded to pull out of her against her protests. He lowered himself briefly to lap at her clit for a few moments before laying down behind her, pulling her right leg up. He entered her from behind as he kissed and bit at her neck. In this position, his pace was relentless. Her moans amplified as he ravaged her; grasping handfuls of her breasts and groaning in ecstasy. 

Her words were nearly incoherent and barely audible as she whispered, “I’m gonna cum…”

Hancock leaned in close to nibble on the lobe of her ear, “Cum for me, Chell. I want you to cum for me.” He commanded. 

The rush came quickly at the pace he kept, only slowing to draw out her orgasm longer. Each wave of her climax contracted the walls of her pussy, squeezing him tighter as he slid in and out. He threw his head back, fighting his own off for just a little bit longer. Her frenzied screams filled the house as she dripped all over him. Her cried softened eventually to weak moans; he wrapped his long arms around her to massage her tits and her hips. He nibbled at her ears giggling low at how much he loved making her come. He never quite stopped, only slowed to a near dead pace loving how easy it now was to move inside her.

“You’re fuckin’ amazin', Chell. I could make you come all night.” He said breathlessly. 

She panted, catching her own. "Now its my turn to have some fun…” she crooned.  
He shuffled up on the bed, reclining and resting his head on the steel bedframe. His dick was still at full attention, wet and bobbing slightly in tune with his pulse. She knelt at his waist, taking his glistening cock with her lips. On the upstroke, she would turn her head just slightly, changing the sensation. He couldn’t help himself and grabbed fistfuls of her hair and pumped along into her mouth.

“You fuckin’ dirty girl…can you taste yourself, love? Fuuuuuckkk…” he pulled her up abruptly, pulling her towards him to kiss her. He slipped his tongue deep in her mouth, tasting the both of them on her lips. She broke away and pushed him back, proceeding to climb on top of him. Inserting him inside her slowly, watching his expression as she slid down his cock. She pressed her hands against his chest and lifted her hips, bucking her hips up and down. His brow furrowed and his devilish smile spread as he watched her bounce on his dick. She ran her hands up her torso to her tits, squeezing them together for him before trailing one hand back down to toy with her clit. She threw her head back as she could feel another orgasm build, moaning loudly. Hancock gripped her hips and kept her on him as deep as he could be, swiveling his own hips into hers. She lowered her body to press up against his, kissing him and moaning into his mouth. She whispered furiously as she came;

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck…fuuuuck I’m coming.”

And as she rode out her third climax he shifted his legs and pumped into her quickly, roaring under the effort it was taking him not to spill himself yet. He grabbed another handful of hair and pulled her head back and biting her neck. She came down off this one and nuzzled into his neck.

“Mmm good girl. Let’s get a look atcha..” He praised, rolling out from under her and standing to get a better look at the mess of a woman that she was.

“If that ain’t the best sight I’ve ever seen…” he admired, still stroking his dick. “I want to watch you touch yourself.”  
She stretched her body out like a cat and slowly spread her legs, giving him full view of her pussy, now blushed red and swollen. She sucked on two fingers seductively then brought them down to her clit, making circling motions around it. Hancock’s own strokes were picking up in pace as she put on her show for him, moaning his name as she slid a finger inside.

“Tell me,” he took on his commanding tone again. His mayoral voice, the one that got direct answers to his questions. “how much do you love getting fucked? Look at you...I just  
wanna watch you fuck yourself...just like this...” he stroked himself faster as he leered at her fingers which circled and toyed with her wet lips.

She smiled as he watched, no one had ever been so hungry for her and it only made her crave more of it. Her fingers parted her lips and she slipped a slickened finger inside herself.  
“I came thinking about you last night in the lake. I wanted to fuck you there in the water. I wanted you so bad...” she whimpered. Chell closed her eyes when she pulled it out and toyed with the tight ring of muscle just below and inserted just the tip.

He stared at her, lids heavy from his lust. “And what about that? What you're doin' now.... anyone ever fuck your gorgeous ass?”

She nodded, “I had a girlfriend in college... but she was the only one who I let do it to me.”

“The only one?”

“I’d let you if you wanted to. I want it.” she said as she probed further.

He stroked harder at the thought. Hancock couldn’t take her teasing anymore. He knelt back on the bed, guiding her body in front of him, turning her so that he could take her from behind. 

“I could so easily…” his thought trailed as he coated his middle finger with spit and inserted just the tip of it into her asshole. She arched her back and groaned slowly at the pressure. “Ohhhh.. the things we could do with you….” His hips slapped against her ass as he buried his cock deep within her. He leaned over and whispered into her ear while using short, intense thrusts. 

“Hmmm is it true what I’ve heard….that you’ve been known to organize orgies in the Statehouse like some hedonistic emperor?” she purred.  
He grinned, pulled himself upright and slapped her ass hard, blushing her pale skin. 

“You dirty little girl, who told you that?” He reached for a fist full of her locks and gripped a solid handful. He gently pulled back, bringing her upright as well while his slick cock pumped in and out. His hand reached for her throat and squeezed slowly and briefly, just enough to assert a moment's dominance. Hancock kissed behind her ears then down to the nape of her neck. “I would enjoy watching you wrapped in love, Chell.”

“Ohhhh….yesss..” she said breathlessly as she felt another climax start to build. His deft fingers slid between her shaking thighs and danced across her swollen, little clit. For a moment he pulled out of her, letting his cock pulse against her ass while he slipped his fingers in circles. She turned to face him and slid the palm of her hand up length of him before guiding it between her wet lips and grinded back and forth. His brow furrowed and his black eyes bore into hers intensely.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll last.” He admitted under the strain and gritted his teeth.

“I want you to come.” She whispered as she slowly slid herself off him and laid down on her back. He grinned as he guided himself back home inside her and slipped his arm behind her head to hold her close. 

Her whispers were feverish, begging him to release himself deep inside. 

He thrust quickly kissing her, focused on her little moans and the way she pivoted her hips into his. He wanted to stay close to her as he released, relishing this intimate moment. He locked eyes with her as he felt the pressure; that distinct tingle that worked its way from perineum through the length of his cock. He couldn’t hold back anymore.

“F-Fuck, Chell…fuck, I’m aaaahh.....” he gasped and yelped and sputtered into her, burying himself as deep as he could within her. She held him tightly to her as she could faintly feel the sensation of the rads he spilt into her. He moaned and grunted rhythmically in tune with each wave of his orgasm filling her with himself. John buried himself in her damp hair, planting little kisses up her neck and behind her ear. She nuzzled into the crook of his neck and held tightly breathing in the way he smelled and the acrid taste of his sweat on her lips when she kissed his collarbone.

“Now I know all that karma stuff’s bull….cause no one like me should ever be this lucky.” He smiled. The storm above them still raged on, however the irradiated clouds had moved North leaving just the thunderstorm. He rolled to the left side and collected her in his arms. Chell sighed contentedly letting her fingers trace lightly up and down his chest. 

“Bet that was your first time with a Ghoul?” he hummed. 

“Mmm hmm.” She smiled, “though you know me, I wouldn't let that stop me before. I just happen to like ya enough to fuck me.” 

“I’m glad you keep an open mind like that. Not many people approve of our kinda relationship.”

“I could care less what other people think. I’m loyal to my friends, I’m loyal to my lovers. The rest can lick an atom bomb for all I care.”

Hancock laughed at her colorful imagery. “Well, it helps that you’ve become pretty popular around the ‘Wealth. For little people though, it ain’t so easy. There's reasons why I asked ya if you really wanted to be with me.” His laughter had petered out, waiting to see how she would react.

She lit two cigarettes and passed one to him. “John, in case you haven't noticed the whole reason why I took up this whole Minuteman schtick was to make sure that people like you and me could have a relationship. I'd fight to the death for the right to be with you. No one should ever have to live in fear because of who they choose to be with, or start a family with, or even if its to just casually fuck. Long before I ever met you the rules in my settlements are that you work together and you accept everyone for what they are. My settlements are welcome to everyone….like Goodneighbor. Its why I was so attracted to you in the first place; 'Of the People, For the People', remember?” She pecked him on the corner of the mouth and smiled. “You’re a good inspiration.” 

“That’s almost an insult, "he joked, “I have a reputation to keep up here heh heh.” 

“Well I’m sure our massacre here will add to our legend, I'm sure.” She added with a hint of dismay. 

“Hey, I have no hard feelings…although, give me another 5 and maybe I will.” He growled and slid his hand down the curve of her body. “But in seriousness, I’ve lived 36 years in the ‘Wealth with this kinda mayhem all around; its hard to remember that you’re still a stranger to this. ”

“I think I'm adjusting pretty well” she pulled herself closer to him and buried her face into his neck, comforted by his warmth. He slid his hand over the patch he found and frowned for a moment. He decided that there would be plenty of time to ask about that, but for now he just wanted to turn everything off but her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo boy hot damn! I need a cold shower after all that...
> 
> The next Chapter will be a little late posting; this was the tail end of my pre written stuff. I have at least another 20000 words that is an absolute mess and I'm gonna work my patootie off getting it into a somewhat coherent shamble but I just want to say how ridiculously grateful I am to every single person who's read my garbage and for all the encouragement and praise and good stuff. I'm still amazed that anything I write can be entertaining enough so thank you thank you thank you all for being so kind and wonderful <3


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